Thoughts:

A LIFE BEYOND AMAZING: 9 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life Today by David Jeremiah brings an amazing way to understand our own part in this life.

Distraction through pain and sometimes feeling we are alone in prayer do not dictate the path of our lives, and the absence of these problems cannot provide peace or strengthen faith. In fact, these will happen to all at many points on the journey. However, it is our own heart which can take us from panic to peace and from weary to rest through the fruits of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with God inside our daily transformation.

From those who we surround ourselves with and our own awareness about why and how we fit into this picture will certainly shed much-needed light into some of those places we have yet dared to examine.

Using Scripture and faith stories of those inside the Bible and others Dr. David Jeremiah advances our faith maturity through self-awareness, application, character, endurance, and challenges. He teaches and shares the nine virtues we need to enhance faith from grace.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In A LIFE BEYOND AMAZING: 9 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life Today, David Jeremiah introduces the challenges of becoming the person God calls each to be, and it all begins inside the heart.

Scripture guides the examination of stories teaching character traits necessary to transform this life. Through God’s calling, through Christ, and the Holy Spirit, all can access the virtues, joy, peace, and divine wisdom every day.

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In LOVE HELD CAPTIVE by Shelley Shepard Gray, we travel back to 1867 where we make a crash landing in Texas.

The war is over and residents of these States attempt to settle into a new routine, but the ravages of the bloodshed still linger. People suffered and died, families are broken, memories battle with the conscience, minds thirst for peace, bodies bear many scars, and some wrongs become righted but not all. The nightmares for some are far from over, and many are not ready to pursue the dreams they held before it all began.

Ethan Kelly is often called by his former rank. However, this major is not able to focus on tomorrow as yesterday still haunts him. All of his wrongs in life seem alive, and his guilt creates its fresh wound. His problems worsen once he realizes that the woman in front of him is the same woman he hurt not long ago. Somehow, he must make his past toward her right. His identity to her remains a mystery. How much longer will it remain so? Can a battle-scarred man become a hero in her eyes?

Meanwhile, Devin Monroe is a former captain and Prisoner of War. His life, since his return home, remains quiet. He is not seeking out companionship while confronting his postwar demons head-on–until a chance meeting transports his emotions back to when he considers marriage in his future. This brief encounter brings Devin inside the challenges of courting a woman. It doesn’t take long for his lack of recent experience to cause awkward moments as he seeks out Julianne VanFleet.

Her demeanor proves that she is an honorable woman, but Julianne seems almost intimidated by her beauty. The shocking, brutal honesty she oozes brings memories back for Devin causing him much pain. While her revelations unveil a lack of his honesty to himself, she brings Devin to know he is familiar with a monster from the war.

Is it possible for him to approach any relationship without secretly judging another? Alternatively, could Miss VanFleet forgive his lack of backbone in admitting to his own faults?

After this war, trust needs to be re-earned by both men and women. Their broken hearts require mending as their past craves forgiveness but understanding must remain a constant companion to all as the engagement to right these wrongs still rage.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Texas, in the year 1867, is where LOVE HELD CAPTIVE by Shelley Shepard Gray brings Major Ethan Kelly and Captain Devin Monroe from the Prisoner of War encampment back home.

The horrors of this battle and the wrongs that lead to it and that happened during it weigh heavily upon each man. While trying to rediscover life from these ruins, the nightmares and guilt strain them on a daily basis as they uncover some of the faces which match the wrongs, including Daniel Bushnell, one of their comrades. However, his reputation was evil inside war and worsens in its aftermath.

Each man faces the pains he has caused others by trying to right their wrongs. Once Bushnell causes more hurt on the innocent, these men struggle with what to do next!

However, the women these two meet on their way to forgiveness have had their own hard times and find trust of limited value. Their living conditions during the war were harsh, and they’ve met the worst of people in uniform. How can either dare be around a former officer, now?

Thoughts:

Through COLORS OF CHRISTMAS, Olivia Newport moves us out of one life and into another during difficult Christmas seasons. We’ll find things in disarray and situations rife with pain.

How can the beauty of this Christmas be still appreciated when nothing is as the season before?

Inside Christmas in Gold, Astrid’s life changes are due to advanced age. She hadn’t wanted to move, but her fall is the reason her children insist. At this tender life stage, it’s hard to be under the rule of the children you raised when you still have the ability to do as you please. Well, that is only until you injure yourself and no longer have that ability, and thus the move to Sycamore Hills Community Living is upon her.

However, they both were right, she did need to relocate, or at least her body did. Her mind wants independence, and maybe that is still possible. It is just hard to give up all that you built, and it is something that she’s had to do before. Those fearsome memories return in vivid color after all these years.

Having something in common tends to bring people together. Will friendships grow even in the darkest of times?

In Christmas in Blue, we meet Angela who is facing the first Christmas after her close friend’s death.

The funny thing about bemoaning this holiday is that Carole was all Christmas and almost all the time, thus making this first even more painful. If she allowed it, every song, movie, and decoration would reduce Angela to tears. No, this year, she is going to this holiday in quiet. Unfortunately, no one told the committee this decision. Angela would not think she even had to. Yes, she assisted Carole on the town’s celebrations, but everyone knew it was Carole’s baby. Angela was just a helper and friend.

However, to honor Carole, the committee decided to give Angela the celebration duties so that she could run it the same way her friend would. Without the benefit of time to change things, this agenda is set almost in secret, and Angela needs help.

When does one’s assistance turn into a disaster? When could a mystery turn to merriment? Is sabotage underfoot or is a new tradition being born?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

COLORS OF CHRISTMAS by Olivia Newport begins inside the stark realities of life changes where hope could not stay buried but lives on to become the beacon of light for others to follow.

Two novellas showcase a death of life as it previously exists only to have it blossom into the rays of hope inside a new Christmas season.

Thoughts:

HOME ALL ALONG (An Amish Secrets Novel) by Beth Wiseman captures life inside the Amish and Englisch worlds as well as the pain that occupies each.

The pull of today’s heavy topics seizes its hold on us as we turn the page….

Charlotte Dolinsky walks a path where love grows, but the pain will follow when the death of a family member makes things difficult for a fragile relationship.

Charlotte’s younger years were far from average and dysfunction looms mightily inside her past, but she makes her home in the most unexpected place. The Amish world in Lancaster County becomes her refuge, and these residents have become a foster family of sorts by allowing her into their circles and into their lives. However, living among the Plain People is much different than living as they live.

Is she finally reaching the critical stage of a decision?

While she digs her way through the grief and uncertainty, Charlotte uncovers another family secret once this secret discovers her!

Meanwhile, Daniel Byler is baptized Amish and stands by Charlotte in her time of need, but he has his worries about their future. He’s in love with her, but at the same time, he woes her indecision. Daniel’s been hurt before and fears his heart will be broken again.

Family life for Daniel has its problems as other issues within his district weigh upon him.

How can he console anyone if his life falls apart?

Are these problems too burdensome to overcome for this opposite attracts relationship? Even if love survives, will someone in this district fall under the shunning?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside HOME ALL ALONG (An Amish Secrets Novel) by Beth Wiseman, Charlotte Dolinsky questions her life, her decisions, her history, and even her faith. Death makes her doubt all that she believes in and everything that’s happened before. Charlotte enters into this crossroad between the Amish world and her Englisch ties as a visitor comes to call bringing more problems to this community.

Daniel stands by Charlotte through it all as a steadfast force for her to lean on, and they’ve fallen in love. There is just one problem. He is Amish, and she is not. As Daniel Byler is amazed at the journey Charlotte has made, he’s just as often reminded of her hesitancy to belong to his community. She’s living between two different worlds and seems to stay with one foot planted in each. The Amish community loves her, but they cannot accept a baptized man marrying an Englisch woman.

The Bishop is questioning, his parents are pushing, and his family life is falling apart as they become entangled in a major health crisis.

Death and illness heaps much stress on their shoulders and pain is coming from many directions. Will these two end up stronger together or better apart? Have both Daniel and Charlotte been moving in the wrong direction?

Thoughts:

Inside DEADLY PROOF by Rachel Dylan, we step onto a tightrope between suspense and mystery!

Danger skulks in a case that is as big as any headliner today. Big Pharma and Big Law plan to take down a multidistrict litigation where the cost is plentiful, the clock ticks, the facts are the problem, and the peril of failure thrives within a landmark case.

Meanwhile, Kate Sullivan’s days get longer while her career is reaching new heights as lead counsel undertaking the Mason Pharmaceutical bellwether trials. Kate seeks justice for the victims of a dangerous drug, which this company unleashed, but as more victims are coming forward, a whistleblower enters the picture.

Elle Procter is anxious, scared, and seems to be fighting her own demons, but she is a researcher that holds the frightening facts about more than one drug and the problems. Now, Kate needs the discretion of a private investigator to find out more.

Landon James is still picking up the pieces from his service overseas as an Army Ranger, but he is finding his niche in private investigations. Although he had previous dealings with legal cases, where the priority is about money, he comes a bit wary meeting his newest potential client. However, it doesn’t take Landon long to realize that she lives up to the profile his research projects, and her compassion brings her version of justice from the heart.

As we are falling in love with Landon, he is gathering the facts, and he uncovers that death can be outsourced.

He worries about Kate as his protective instinct locks into gear. She knows enough to be in danger but just not enough to bring in the police, and things are shaping up to where the hunter becomes the prey. His battlefield past is coming back to haunt him as he fears a costly mistake could leave this attorney at death’s door.

Will wrongful death follow them to the courtroom or will this case die before it hits the docket?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

DEADLY PROOF by Rachel Dylan places attorney Kate Sullivan into the hardest case of her career.

In the Mason Pharmaceutical case, the plaintiffs need justice for a wrongful death and a damaging drug, but this one medicine is still on the market. Its growth is on target to reach more patients, but she needs to stop a powerful company from hurting more for the sake of a bulging bottom line. The death of a whistleblower takes this case in another direction and into the company’s research and development capabilities.

While Landon James hasn’t been a PI for long, his experience as an Army Ranger makes this job the perfect fit. He’s hired by a plaintiff’s law firm and starts to dig up the buried bits of a Big Pharma player.

Do profits matter much more than patients do within Mason Pharmaceutical? If this is the case, how far will they go to ensure their piece of the pie?

For the sake of this lawyer in his life, he must avoid any appearance of impropriety, but his heart is gathering steam in the wrong direction when she becomes the target!

Thoughts:

AN AMISH CHRISTMAS LOVE: Four Novellas by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid, and Kelly Irvin uncovers Amish Christmases with affections blooming within each community to make our holiday hearts even warmer as the light shines even brighter!

Falling in love with the Amish, we’ll learn more about their traditions, their history, and their healing hearts, but we will glow with the embers of love as we follow their forever-changing lives.

These four stories will bring us from marriage to death, from pain to healing and from state to state with merry themes plus heartwarming reminders. Could love be found during the most painful of times in life—while traveling on a completely different path than expected or while struggling with grief or fear of the unknown?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Within AN AMISH CHRISTMAS LOVE: Four Novellas, the high regard inside the communities show through in WINTER KISSES by Beth Wiseman, THE CHRISTMAS CAT by Amy Clipston, SNOW ANGELS by Kelly Irvin, and HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Ruth Reid!

Christmas is inside each story as the celebration of the holiday is already there or it is on the way. When hope is hard to find or when the sad times of life come to stay, how will all fare?

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In A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT (The Regency Spies of London Book 3), Melanie Dickerson transports her readers back to the Regency Era in London and douses us with mystery, intrigue, and suspense!

This time in history encompasses war and tumult, from the Civil War in America to the French Revolution, but England is just beginning to face its own dangerous unrest!

The calls sound for revolution from many sites near and far and the streets of London show poverty surrounding wealth as the Season begins. Felicity Mayson is used to being overlooked for both dances and marriage. She’s from a family with thirteen children and would have a little dowry. The young men during this time want a marriage of money, leaving her and others nearly excluded from the competition. Felicity studies another language to become a Missionary, but an invitation arrives requesting her presence at a distant relative’s estate. Apparently, she thinks, they do not have enough women to turn down. However, this is far from the case upon her arrival as the meetings with those of means are far from difficult.

In fact, one already is showing interest despite her dismal financing. Being viewed as other than flawed is a heady experience, and Felicity soon swoons from romance while a new arrival is bringing back memories of her home in London.

Philip McDowell implants himself into a group of well-financed and well-stocked revolutionaries. Although he is an undercover government agent, he arrives with a problem. One beautiful woman who is here is someone he has seen in London. In fact, she is a friend to people higher up in both military and Parliament. With fighters planning to take control of the monarchy, he needs to know if she is friend or foe to the Crown. Between his portraying to be one of the henchmen and learning all he can about the others, he may have to find a way to alert the Home Office about Miss Mayson.

Her access to these friends puts them in jeopardy, but it doesn’t take him long to understand that Felicity Mayson is the one in danger. It is easy to understand she knew nothing about these things before coming here, and she is now considered a problem if she does not go along with their marriage plans.

How can he follow leads, keep her safe, and contact Home Office when more are due to arrive? Philip’s only choice is to come clean about his identity, and this will triple her chances for being caught.

Behind these scenes, we readers are falling for Philip McDowell, but we are wondering about how these two can survive.

More than one person may nurse a broken heart.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT (The Regency Spies of London Book 3) by Melanie Dickerson brings Felicity Mayson an invitation to Doverton Hall. As it is often in the Season, Felicity receives dismissal at such events due to her family situation and little dowry. Though she is dubious of the invite, she accepts it as it comes from distant family.

After meeting wealthy gentlemen not objecting about her, she is being seen by Mr. Oliver Ratley.

His over-the-top pursuit brings her flattery that none other has before, and she is enjoying herself. His quick marriage proposal delights her until she sees someone from London. Will everyone know more about her depressing money situation? Are these men actually this wealthy?

Meanwhile, Philip McDowell arrives later than most in part due to happenstance and partly not. Philip knows these faces and these traitorous hearts as those out to overthrow the government. His career as a government agent takes him into situations, but this is dangerous indeed. He intends to take down this band of revolutionaries, but he runs into an unexpected reunion of sorts supplying even more problems.

Their soft touch has high-reaching friends, and while he has been around Felicity Mayson, he does not know her well. The implications of her presence here are magnifying all factors of which she is a danger to, to whom poses a threat to her, and for that matter to him.

The likelihood that she knows more about him than most of these people do is great, as he is undercover on this assignment. Out of options and with more to lose, he must reach out to Felicity, as it seems clear that she is in more danger than he is!

However, he will put her in an even more dire position because he is duty bound to his assignment despite needing her trust.

Thoughts:

Inside 12 DAYS AT BLEAKLY MANOR: Book 1 in Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep, we are in England near Christmas of 1851, but for Clara Chapman, these times surrounding the holiday are not at all joyous. As the woman left at the altar without means, she is not homeless only since a loving Aunt takes her in.

Clara’s losses are piling up faster than the winter’s chills upon her skin, and the ache of betrayal doesn’t cease. Her financial situation becomes dwarfed by her guilt of severing the income for her former household staff.

How did all this happen?

Meanwhile, at the prison, the stench is overwhelming and the pain never heals from untold torments. Benjamin Lane’s cell is open, and he prepares for the torture, but he does not expect it from the Warden.

As he takes the proffered invitation, he is told that death will meet him if he tries to escape. Who would invite a falsely accused prisoner to the Bleakly Manor? Moreover, why?

The wealth that is there stings more than his fresh wounds.

Places such as this met his stature at one time. In the social circles of such things, he is now not a member.

Shunned by all who know him, Ben must face whatever will be his fate along with the reminders of all that he has lost during the holiday that holds the most meaning. Just as he thinks it could never become more painful, he realizes how wrong he is as the mystery unravels. The whole story behind his story needs real justice, but freedom from his jail cell does not mean unrestraint at all.

In a tale that is in part a Dickens and a Christie, you may be asking yourself if a mishap comes from the maid, in the parlor, with the candle or from the inspector in the carriage house, with the saw!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

12 DAYS AT BLEAKLY MANOR: Book 1 in Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep begins as an invitation to a mansion, a mystery, and an answer for each invited guest.

However, the merriment may be missing as the plot thickens and the mystery comes apart!

Clara Chapman is invited to a celebration, the 12 Days of Christmas, by someone she does not know, but her sickly aunt insists she goes for there is a gift that Clara needs. She will receive it if only she stays to the end. Reluctantly, she goes with a feeling of foreboding nagging at her.

In prison garb and chains, Benjamin Lane is to reenter the high society of that is familiar for only twelve days. A chance to run is all he wants as he sees the woman who told him of her love only to set him up for a crime he didn’t commit.

The mystery surrounding them leaves both vulnerable and scared, but the answer they believe to be their way to happiness might not be it at all.

Fall in love through history, in spite of the fear of rejection, to gain the promise of hope from beginning to end. Stories will take us from East Coast to the Western Frontier and from 1880’s through early 1900’s to find the desires of your heart. With a sampling inside this review, I will share about two tales where romance dwells, and with the turn of each page, you’ll ponder about each end.

THE COST OF A HEART by Amanda Barratt adds the jolt of an unhappy marriage Lily Montgomery’s life. Her marriage to a wealthy, prominent man leaves her with an empty heart from the love her husband lacks. However, she was not ready to become a widow. In 1897, mourning takes years, but when Lily emerges, she is ready for a life on her terms. The time cloistered in home brought her to closeness with her servants and that would never have been, and she’s grateful for the friendship. Though the norms of socialites would not have such things, with a lack of close family ties, she dares to cross the blurry lines of class.

What if the lines become so blended that one’s place gets lost?

Nathaniel Evans has always been fond of Lily Montgomery, but her horrid husband made it easier to keep his own place in mind. He wasn’t approving of Mr. Montgomery, as his presence was apt to cause his spouse problems. In fact, when he was not around, Nathaniel could see the real smile that would add light to Lily’s face.

With him deceased, her grief was real, but her strength and spine only multiply as does the light that comes back into her beautiful eyes.

His secret feelings for her leads to a change as he struggles to keep his emotions under control until it becomes near impossible. If he would show his care, he will lose everything. No love. No job. He’s a servant. She is not. Does he dare? They have no future, and he has no ability to love another.

Can he stay on as her servant and be no more to her than this?

LOVE FROM AFAR by Penny Zeller begins with a bashful, shy man who was at one time, a sickly, tired boy. Gabe Kleeman returns to Ellis Creek after a few years absence. The young girl he admired from his school days is now a beautiful woman he admires even more than before. However, his shy, awkward stature of years gone by is still here with him today. A younger sibling notices his stares at the woman, and his life becomes more complicated. He can not let his secret be known. She didn’t notice him years ago, and he is sure Meredith Waller would not like him better today.

As two siblings from two different families concoct a plan, the wedding dress maker is taken into their sites along with a brother who stays by himself to set their lives into a tailspin.

Meredith Waller accepts that she will be a spinster. Her talents of making perfect wedding dresses are stretching everywhere in a town where all of her friends either are now married or are getting married. Things are going about on the same course as it has been until an unsigned letter arrives for her in the mail.

Who could be her secret admirer? The scrawl and poetry do not lend a hand to identify the man, and Meredith is setting herself up to know this person for real.

Thoughts:

ON LOVE’S GENTLE SHORE: A Novel by Liz Johnson, we uncover the inherent problems in returning to the place you left behind only to face all of those who remember everything about you!

Natalie O’Ryan’s plan is to stay in Nashville, but her fiancé’s brother is a new resident of the island where dreams never come true, and the red rock can hold you down. We feel the pain, worry, and ache of trying not to be who you are while whom you used to be remaining an insistent bombardment to us. Prince Edward Island does not hold fond memories for Natalie.

Her younger life provided plenty of abuse, family dysfunction, and alcoholic tendencies mixed with many other family issues never sorted through. Unfortunately, she still wears the stains of her family ways and their toxic lives.

The life she creates is Nashville involves a future marriage, a music label, and a clean slate cloaked in anonymity. However, attempting to be the person you are not will lead to someone else taking the lead and putting you right where you belong whether you wanted to go there or not.

Meanwhile, Justin Kane runs the family farm but still makes time for his music.

No, it was not supposed to be this way. His music was to take him away in life, but that dream died along with his dad years ago. His rebellious youth is long gone, and he is a responsible man. Falling in love with Justin’s caring ways, you may want to join him on the island. It’s his home from birth, and although farming isn’t his life’s dream, he’s made his father’s legacy a success.

Justin believes he has moved on in life, adjusting to the changed normal until the day that he realizes he hasn’t.

It may be that he does not want to either. He has been striving not thriving and managing everyday life without thoughts of his future. He is present in the blandness of every day, but he has given up on the forever-elusive state of happiness. However, he doesn’t know any of this until the friend who took his heart away the day she left returns, and his past comes back to him with unrelenting force. Memories and pain flood him like the tide!

Did his music dream truly die? Could a childhood friendship have been so much more than this?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside ON LOVE’S GENTLE SHORE: A Novel by Liz Johnson, Natalie O’Ryan’s fiancé makes their wedding plans without her input. While she understands that his new relationship with his brother is the reason, he has put her in the most difficult of situations.

She must face the past that even he does not know about, and she must face her facade crumbling in a life not lived.

With a plastic smile and the power of determination, Natalie will overcome this horrid destination and painful memories to plan a wedding and make a graceful exit from that old life. Her conjured up, get it done persona takes a major hit, once her music producer, soon to be husband, Russell Jacobs needs to return to Nashville. Music is his life. Sometimes, it can make her play second fiddle, but she has not been honest enough for him to know this about her and why.

Justin Kane lives on Prince Edward Island, manages his deceased father’s farm, and discovers successes where he can find them, and he plays his music for fun. His life is fairly settled, and he no longer dreams of leaving island life behind until Natalie comes back.

Now, Justin faces his past, present, and future with a ton of questions, many emotions, and hefty decisions weighing him down.

Life is alive with second chances providing you can let go of everything you thought you had. Starting over is never easy, but is it even doable?

Thoughts:

Author Bonnie Gray takes a hard look inside our must get it all done motivations, as one who experiences this dash that we all put ourselves through. To gain the rest that is already ours, we must take His hand, lean into Him, and recharge.

I am touched immensely by this devotional, as I had to face some difficult facts.

In order to give of ourselves to others, we must take care of ourselves, and it’s not about getting everything done or about twisting ourselves into a pretzel shape to accommodate everything in need of our attention. We must rest. It is not wrong to put something down, to set boundaries, and to say no.

In fact, sometimes, it is what He wants us to do to draw closer to Him and rest in His embrace. It is about making time for a relationship with Jesus. Easily, we receive peace, shelter, and strength, but we do this by taking His hand and letting Him lead rather than us charting our own path.

Through this devotional, we start with one word, one action, and one goal. Beloved. Stop. Rest.

From seeing Him through your daily lens to journalizing as little or as much as you need, you set down your own story. Scripture carries you through each challenge with prayer prompts, God Stories, and His peace.

I highly recommend the soul searching, mending, and healing of WHISPERS OF REST: 40 Days of God’s Love to Revitalize Your Soul by Bonnie Gray!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

WHISPERS OF REST: 40 Days of God’s Love to Revitalize Your Soul by Bonnie Gray is a devotional that leads to healing.

Through Scripture, affirmations, reflections, prayer prompts, journalizing, and challenges, the devotions guide you to rest, peace, renewed faith, powerful hope, and joy. The Soul Care tips and trail notes help with stress reduction and nurturing you in godly ways, bringing true intimacy with our Savior.

These guided steps can mend heart and soul to increase well-being through meditation and creativeness!

Thoughts:

HIDDEN THREAT by Connie Mann steeps us in danger as we come home to Safe Harbor. Eve Jackson’s life in DC is getting complicated. A mess lingers from a government official and doesn’t seem to be ending soon. The visit home is just as knotty. Eve must face something she’s been running from as her adoptive mother battles cancer.

Mama Rosa endures but not easily, and she requests Eve’s clean-water background for a sick baby. Poison is the culprit. The child’s mother is under suspicion. In this small town, everyone does know everyone’s business, and they even know some characters can be as shady as the live Oak trees on a sunny day, with ghostly shadows moving about. However, this young mother is not guilty, and it is up to Evie to help prove it. Eve Jackson’s crusader ways were both problematic and resented as she went through her teen years. Many people and businesses have not forgiven or forgotten these things, but with blue baby syndrome hiding out here, Evie is ready to stir up the past to save a future.

Cole Sutton had to blink twice to see the woman before him, his painful memory made a comeback but other memories surfaced as well. With the financial situation here at Sutton Ranch, the last thing he needs is Evie to be here for more than a home visit. It was then that he realized how few those home visits had become.

Maybe he was not the only one in town remembering her outlandish, foolhardy environmental ways back in high school.

With one look at his deformed calves, she would call the DC sharks to shut him down. However, he wished that she’d call a team of vets to help him understand why this is happening. As we fall in love with Cole, we will discover that he is losing more than money. Cole’s heart splinters with the birth of each calf.

Her questions are causing more problems, as the rumor mill can be just as deadly to the ranch as a defaulted bank loan.

Determined to keep her focus off of his land, Cole answers her questions and goes out of his way in showing that he is doing things right. He’s not trying to cut corners, but danger starts to lurk around her, causing him to need to keep her close.

Her need for safety and his desire to keep her safe causes Eve to learn more than he wants, but Cole is beginning to realize he needs her help. A danger is close to home on Sutton ranch.

Could illness, deformed calves, and sabotage be connected? How far is someone willing to go in this game of seeking to destroy?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside HIDDEN THREAT by Connie Mann, the unexpected happens as coming home to Safe Harbor, Florida means facing old scars, painful remembrances, and people with long memories of her past as Eve Jackson’s nightmare is coming to life.

In DC, Eve is used to environmental catastrophes, water safety issues, and becoming ensnared in traps. However, Safe Harbor is supposed to be the exact opposite of that part of her life, until it isn’t.

Her adoptive mother’s cancer treatments are not going well, but Mama Rosa wants Eve to look into a child’s illness. She instructs Eve to worry not about her. With a lump in her throat, she is brought back to her past, when her birth mother issued a similar directive, but it became an end of life scenario. Torn between paths, Evie decides she is going to do both. She can help Mama Rosa despite her protestations and look into the child’s illness. After all, these patients are in the same hospital.

How could a major environmental concern lurk in her hometown?

Cole Sutton faces his own trials, as things aren’t going right. His equipment is consistently out of order, and the mysterious loan taken by his father is coming due. Cole does not need more rumors, sales talk, or environmental issues. Except an environmental problem is here at Sutton ranch, and Cole cannot find the source. It’s not just when Eve Jackson shows up. In truth, he needs the expertise with the way that she makes her living. His calves are suffering deformity. Even the vet doesn’t know why.

Is someone close to the ranch inviting dangers on his property? He is suffering losses, Cole’s animals are in jeopardy, and violence is brewing inside this little town. Whom can he trust?

Thoughts:

WHISPERING PINES (The Langtry Sisters) by Scarlett Dunn is a coming home tale. Inside the frontier life of Colorado, danger stakes a claim at the beginning and continues all the way through!

When family reunions come around, times may be good but sometimes not so much. No one could expect to find a man who frightened you as a child ready to dole out his own form of justice to your kin upon arrival. It’s true that Frank Langtry had behavioral issues throughout his young life, but five years must have matured him as it did his sister. Trying to convince this to the judge, jury, and executioner named Morgan LeMasters is not going to be easy. Fear grips her heart tighter as Rose Langtry dares the man to hand her brother over to the sheriff and let justice come the right way.

Readying to face death, her brother is swearing that he did not do these things, but Morgan claims his proof is back at the ranch. As she is refusing to leave, her brother is spinning a yarn of his lifetime.

In the meanwhile, the young woman standing before Morgan begs for her brother’s life. Although he is deputized and by law can exact justice upon this man of terror, he will not take this man’s life in front of family. He will not do it. Realizing this young woman loves the lad does not make things go down any easier. Because the way Morgan sees it, she will beg the next judge for leniency too. To see how her time away has matured this young woman of the past has him wonder if her good heart will not notice the monster that is her brother.

However, once his good deed goes awry, life is about to become so much more complicated in Whispering Pines.

Maybe she’ll have to choose blood over bond or maybe she’ll have to understand enough to choose love over her circumstances, but whatever way Rose Langtry could go, the pain will follow in one form or another.

Sometimes blood is thicker than water and sometimes that just isn’t the case. Could her prayers for Frankie have come to pass freeing him of his hard owned reputation or could her prayers cause her to realize when to let go and let God?

Will love find a way inside WHISPERING PINES?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside WHISPERING PINES (The Langtry Sisters) by Scarlett Dunn, Rose Langtry is the first sister to arrive home, but instead of a greeting party, hanging halts the stagecoach. She tries to keep herself together upon seeing her brother ready to die, but the man in charge is the one she has feared a long time. Deciding to fight for her brother, she implores Morgan LeMasters to move his vengeance aside and let the sheriff take his case.

While seeing the beautiful woman nearly coming unglued helped Frankie Langtry’s case in the short-term, his fate becomes more sealed after things go wrong on his way into freedom. He injures one and kills another, and he holds no worry over his sister’s life. Now, the woman who created this mess lies injured and their horses are gone.

To tend to Rose’s wounds and keep her alive isn’t hard because she is Frankie’s sister, but it is hard because she’s a good woman. Rose could just barrel through your defenses to create a bond that would leave any man wanting more.

Could Rose ever fall in love with the man who would have killed her brother?

However, Frankie is repaying revenge for the goodness that he received bringing more danger not only to Morgan but also to all involved. Morgan LeMaster’s keeps guard over Rose and nurses her to health, but all the while, he is worried about the rest of her family!

Will tensions create the need for a marriage of convenience while family bonds shatter? Will faith lead to a bond stronger than the storm?

Thoughts:

Rumors? Deception? History? War? Danger? Family ties? Suspense? Romance? Oh, yes! A NAME UNKNOWN (Shadows Over England Series) by Roseanna M. White halts us with lies formed in the dark of night to unmask a German in England.

The secret societies hire the best and the one needing the money most, but the ever-present danger pulls us in deep with the turn of each page.

Rosemary Gresham knows the pitfalls of the London streets all too well, but Mr. V is a loyal customer who pays very well. More important, she has a family to feed. In the nighttime shadows, plans are in motion and documents arrive, but the job will not be too hard. In fact, for a short time, she’ll live a lifestyle that she will never own. To be surrounded by wealth and easy pickings for once the job is done. What could go wrong?

Rosemary makes the mistake of being seen talking positively about Peter. Will this compromise her assignment?

Britain borders on a war with Germany, and Peter Holstein must prove he is loyal to the Crown. His friend, the King, confirms this, but he has a problem. Family history is buried under mountains of books and assumptions. He knows his parents purchased their land and could not have if his parents were not English subjects. However, he can not find the documentation.

Meanwhile, the answer to his problems just shows up unannounced. She’s a librarian, historian referred to his direction by a member of esteemed acquaintance, and her references are in order, at first glance, according to his best friend, a Solicitor. He will continue to check her background.

In this Edwardian, word of mouth can be as lethal as the pen when gossip becomes another’s reality.

Peter has a deadline to meet, and his circles of people dwindle by the day. What if he loses his home for lack of British evidence? Could he be put on an expulsion and be forced to live elsewhere? Will he have to give up his livelihood?

Once Rosemary Gresham’s sister is devastatingly injured, Peter is determined to pay the medical bills, anonymously, but this attempt isn’t easy, as the detectives are now unable to find her family!

Can anything else go so very wrong?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside A NAME UNKNOWN (Shadows Over England Series) by Roseanna M. White, Rosemary Gresham is used to lifting objects and things. In her line of work, it is expected. However, this well-paying customer wants her to steal someone’s name and heritage.

Mr. V needs to find out if this target is an enemy as he is of German descent, and Britain is nearer to war. While Rosemary has dressed the part of the upper class to lift, this would be different. To snoop through one’s private papers, documents, and pictures, closeness would need to be in place on the mark. Not an easy job, but this will pay more than ever before once the job is completed.

In the meanwhile, for Peter Holstein, to change his family name from German to English will hurt. It will not be due to allegiance, as he is British, but the pain will be in losing his name, as he would be cutting the only binding between him and his loving, deceased parents. However, he may have to do just that as his livelihood will be put in jeopardy.

What will become of his writing career? Will he need to give up the only home he has ever known?

As Peter and Rosemary come to work in close quarters, they begin to get to know each other, and the unthinkable happens. These two begin not only to acquire a connection, but they begin to develop sparks of romance. What else can go wrong?

Working together but moving in different directions, each has a different goal, are they able to stay their course or will they join forces and move in tandem with love?

Thoughts:

THE ENGAGEMENT CHARADE by Karen Kirst leads us to Tennessee in the 1880’s. We traverse the boardwalk of the old West where new lives can begin under horrible and tragic circumstances.

Our heart aches for Mr. Alexander Copeland. He’s losing his ability to keep company with almost anyone. To Alex, it is preferable to be alone than to see a happy family, as pain assaults his senses and sets him to relive a nightmare.

He tries to keep control of his surroundings, but his new employee brings a problem to his cafe.

Her optimistic chattering and managerial habits interrupt his daily ritual of solitude. Although his patrons enjoy her cheerfulness and her abilities, he comes undone with it all. Could she just leave him alone? She must perform her duties quietly and leave. This is how he wants her to operate, but she cannot do it.

Unfortunately, for Widow Ellie Jameson, she was hired during the owner’s absence. Mr. Copeland lets it be known that he wasn’t in on her hiring and isn’t happy about it. In fact, he tries to make due with her being here.

Proving her worth to his business puts her to running afoul of her employer. How could she convince him that she wants and needs this job? Ellie must share all she brings to the cafe and all that still needs doing. She understands his reputation of being a loner, but Ellie must have his agreement in cafe matters or nothing will get finished.

Her time is limited, and she is being hunted!

The public will eventually know about Ellie’s family and her secrets. These are the reasons that she must work now. Ellie does not want her present condition to impede her future finance. She’ll need it for later.

Will angst lead to unemployment or something far worse?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In THE ENGAGEMENT CHARADE by Karen Kirst, Ellie Jameson is a pregnant widow venturing out on her own to get away from her suffocating in-laws. Her marriage was far from happy and relationships with his extended family were never near pleasant.

A talkative widow whose worth ethic is stellar should be any businessman’s dream. Customers are happy and keep returning and other employees mesh well with this new hire. The problem is with her boss.

Her work here disrupts his quiet.

Alexander Copeland fled from Texas leaving his kin behind to run far from the memories that to this day still haunt him. Gone are his wife and son, and the pride this former rancher once held. He came to Gatlinburg with goals in mind. He was going to live alone, stay alone, and conquer the grief that swallows him whole. All was going as planned until Ellie Jameson arrives. Her mumbling and her care for this café are driving him mad.

Her secrets only cause more pain, but the people she’s running from causes him to protect her in the only way he can. From sequestered to betrothed, Alex is out-and-about with a woman on his arm, but his grief is closer to the surface than ever before.

Could this pretend relationship cause more problems than protection for both of them? Will the sheriff be able to keep them safe whether together or apart?

Thoughts:

A LETTER FROM LANCASTER COUNTY by Kate Lloyd is an American tale where contemporary and Amish past and present will collide to leave a family questioning everything they believe!

Family dysfunction, sibling rivalry, mystery, and deceit come together inside a family reunion.

Will fragile bonds strengthen or fray even more?

Aunt Silvia wasn’t truthful with Angela and Rose, but she is trying to bring the family together just once before the next season of her life is on her doorstep. Silvia was not close with their mother and her sister, but she wishes to make a positive change with her nieces.

Meanwhile, Angela and Rose didn’t grow up to be close sisters although they lived inside the same home. Teenage strife brought only more separation as they grew into young adulthood. Now, well into maturity, one is married with children, and one is a successful business owner, but they both still only tolerate each other as even their mother’s funeral couldn’t shorten the distance between them.

These siblings set out to greet the past and maybe forge a future with an aunt they knew from years ago. However, their sniping and bitterness only grow as each begins to wonder if their life could have been different.

While still inside old family lies, they find out the truth, and they resent their mother and the choices she made.

Do they yet realize that some of their choices were mistakes? Can they grow to love the aunt who meant well but could have been doing it all wrong?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside A LETTER FROM LANCASTER COUNTY by Kate Lloyd, two sisters venture to uncover a better relationship after their mother’s death, but they could land more than second chances.

Angela and Rose live with regrets, pains, missed opportunities, and lies!

Both disapprove of some things in their own life. However, is it all bad? Each has issues with the other’s life, and both, at times, walk on a border of saying too much or not enough. When a letter from Lancaster County offers them the opportunity to reconnect with an old family tie, they may take it as a time to come to a better understanding of each other or not.

Is the past better left buried?

The visit with Aunt Silvia goes nicely until deception grows into doubt. Their Mennonite Aunt has her own issues, but nobody is ready for the secrets they find in the storage area.

While resentments are like weeds in a vegetable garden, they can lay the seeds of many undesirable emotions as family secrets unfold!

Thoughts:

In MY UNEXPECTED HOPE by Tammy L. Gray, we trip over brokenness, addiction, codependency, and love to drop feet first into the aftermath of broken families, drugs, alcohol, and heartbreak while praying for redemption, transformation, and healing!

Laila Richards practiced hard love until it hurt more than she could bear, and then she made the choice to greet the end and move on. The problem is that Laila still resides in the same place and talks about the same issues. Hoping for change, she takes the leap and makes a deposit on a cottage in another town to break the last of the connection to heartache.

Is it possible to leave her whole life behind her?

Meanwhile, Chad Richardson left Fairfield, Georgia after a drug bust with alcohol flowing in his veins needing to keep clear of the danger that hunts him.

His sobriety is just a few months under a year old when time seems to stop.

Chad did not want to return home until he is a year sober, but his ex-wife is moving on with another and time is of the essence. He hurt her badly and virtually abandoned her and his old life. Not only does he need to make amends; he must prove himself. Is it even possible? Will he fall back into the old habits through his former life? Can he escape the danger that waits for his return?

We run back into troubled relationships, anger, fear, and pain all the while we are learning and understanding how difficult coming back really can become. As we pass the triggers and the problems, we’ll dare to hope for redemption, forgiveness, and new beginnings.

Will all of the progress end or can beauty come from these ashes?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

MY UNEXPECTED HOPE by Tammy L. Gray raises the stakes for Laila Richardson in her attempts to move on.

Laila resides in a small town. It’s where everyone not only knows everyone; they hold a person in place. She let Fairfield, Georgia do this to her, along with her own dream which did not come to fruition. However, she begins to realize that some people know more than she does about the past, and she keeps her impending move a secret until Ben shows up at her job. To explain a boyfriend to people believing she pines for her ex is not easy, but she did it. This visit actually frees her, but the past is about to come home again to engage a host of issues inside her present!

Chad Richardson is nine months sober when a phone call shakes him. He is not ready to face his past, but his future depends on it. Mistakes brought him to this point, and he needs to set things right or lose all he fights for. The woman he hurt is the only face he sees through this sobriety journey, but the danger that lurks in her town can bring him down.

Can addiction lead to transformation? Will the past lead to their future?

Thoughts:

In TRUSTING GRACE: A Novel (Virtues And Vices Of The Old West Book 3) by Maggie Brendan, we tumble into the lives of a ragtag family in an 1860’s Western landscape. We’ll learn that this group is far from a family, but they are rather thrown together through circumstances that no one wanted.

However, this is where we will begin to fall in love with Robert Frasier.

He lost a wife, a farm, and a community, but he gains three children whom he never knew to exist. In loving and marrying a woman, it should be a beginning for him, but her death marks the end, leaving him with more responsibilities and more pain in the wake of it all. He trusted and loved Ada, but she never trusted him with her past, her life, and her truth.

This leaves him homeless with mouths to feed, and he learns the hard lessons of becoming a father.

Meanwhile, Grace’s devotion to her dad is heartwarming and beautiful, but it might leave her misguided in a way.

Grace is a widow, for a few years, but once her father takes ill, Grace accepts it to mean her life will be this way going forward. She is okay. Her father is a good man, and her mother died years ago. However, with her father unable to help run Bidwell Farms, she needs to hire help. However, with the way she keeps herself cloistered on the farm, Grace is at a loss for how to do this. Her friend passes the job notice on at the Mercantile, and the position is quickly filled.

However, this is just the beginning of a story for both Grace Bidwell and her father, Owen Miller. Their life changes and fills with pangs, worries, and fears as harvest grows near!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

TRUSTING GRACE: A Novel (Virtues And Vices Of The Old West Book 3) by Maggie Brendan stages the aftermath of Grace’s dream of marriage smashed, through death, into the abyss.

A widow, without children, the life she dreamt of is no more. Now that her father is ill and unable to help on her husband’s ranch, Grace is at a crossroads in life. In order for it to be possible to keep her late husband’s farm, she needs help.

Robert Frasier becomes the hired help and brings with him three children and a homeless situation, but their grief leaves all with trust issues and a distant relationship.

Grace is welcoming to all, and she believes all crosses her path for a reason. Her house seems like home, again.

In 1860s Montana, the Gallatin Valley thrives inside the Virtues and Vices of the Old West series as trust is just beginning to take root!

Thoughts:

Inside SWEETBRIAR COTTAGE by Denise Hunter, we belly flop into the aftermath of love gone wrong, as a divorce is already over. Or is it?

Noah Mitchell stops to get his mail, and his day goes downhill from there. After all, a letter from the IRS is always lump in your throat inducing, and it usually describes money owed rather than money coming to you. True to form, this letter is addressing his recent tax filing, but the problem is that they are wrong. He’s a divorced man filing as such. How could they make this into something?

It doesn’t take long for Noah to understand that he is wrong, and the anger over his ex-wife’s mistakes flare all over again.

Josephine Dupree Mitchell is busy running her barbershop but has not exactly moved on in life. She is in counseling for both faith and mind. For her situation, this is the best she can do. Maybe she’s not over Noah Mitchell, but she is trying to understand herself and her faults. Is she the only one in this failed relationship trying to get a handle on everything?

On a rush of cold air, the man she always thinks about walks in demanding to see her copy of the divorce papers. His eyes are flashing red, and she does not understand his problem, well, until she does.

Now two people who thought that they were officially divorced come to an understanding. They are still married. This is not a good thing. He never cared to understand the problems, and she walks a narrow path trying to find her way out of issues which stem from horrific abuse that came to be long before the wedding day.

The edgy vibe of their emotional storm is intense, but the weather may add another twist to their intact nuptials!

Will either survive to see the end?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Noah settles on a mountain ranch away from his ex-wife, his former home, and many townspeople who seem to know everything. The peace of the Blue Ridge Mountains gives solace and a place to hide. He goes to town infrequently and makes the most of his time by doing errands and keeping busy. The post office is just one of those items on his list until it becomes a problem.

Part of his past and present creeps up to front and center by way of a government agency. Now his anger is set to boil, and he goes to the woman who causes all the trouble.

Yes, Josephine Dupree Mitchell causes the end of her marriage, and she is still living with the guilt. Emotionally damaged, she not over the loss of the man who walks through the door to blame her for the IRS!

Once she finally understands what she did wrong, this time, Josephine will make it up to Noah.

She vows to expedite the end regardless of the pain she is bringing upon herself. She drives to the ranch to bring Noah signed legal papers. However, the weather is not cooperating with her, and instead of doing him a favor of expediting, she becomes stranded with him in the storm.

These two have heaps of yet unidentified issues within the marriage, and each had their own baggage they brought to the end as well. Meanwhile, the snowstorm hitting outside only intensifies the fury on the inside along with the good and bad memories.

While God loves us unconditionally, does everyone love each other in that fashion or is there always a condition?

Like this:

Wow! Summer reading has never been this exciting. What fabulous novels and super talented authors.

THE POISON WE DRINK by Carol McClain (Desert Breeze Publishing) ~ Summer is too short to labor over ponderous tomes. This novel will sweep you up in its drama and keep those pages zipping. You’ll not want to leave the beach until the last page has been read.How do you forgive the unforgivable? Torie Sullivan wrecks her car in a drunken fury and is rescued by a man she used to bully in middle school. Their worlds collide when Adam Benedict, now a paramedic, discovers Torie is homeless. He provides living accommodations for Torie with his girlfriend, Maya Vitale. The three unlikely friends must conquer their pasts to have a future. But some wrongs are too hard to overcome. This novel sweep you up in its tale of love, hatred and redemption. Readers say it…

Thoughts:

LOVE STORY: A Novel (The Baxter Family Book 1) by Karen Kingsbury introduces us to John Baxter and his current wife Elaine, but we fall with them into the beginning of another love story, at a different time, and in a place where the definition of family changes forever!

The passing down of family history, backgrounds, and traditions can be a wonderful bonding opportunity, but sometimes, revisiting the past will put love, secrets, and pain on display. Could a grandchild’s school project be the burden that brings needless pain into a widower’s second marriage?

Meanwhile, new relationships come with issues as two become one in marriage, but closeness may crash and burn before the wedding. Could a couple with a thorny past begin anew? Cody Coleman and Andi Ellison endure a broken engagement, insecurities of a past love, and a hard case of PTSD, but while pride can sabotage a relationship, Cody still has hope. Then, one day, Andi breaks his heart. Is it finally his time to let her go?

Does protecting someone put him or her at risk through unintended consequences? Ashley and Landon cope with married life well, but her father’s story, her past, and her son’s heritage brings tender emotions to the surface. Ashley realizes the present will become daunting inside her blended family.

As we visit with the Baxters, we’ll marvel at just how real they are and how true to life their difficulties can be, but you will feel the deepness of their authentic faith through both painful and happy situations.

You can visit and connect with this enchanting family, their neighbors, and their friends through books, and they will be coming to the television near you. Take a seat, have coffee or tea, place tissues nearby, and you will uncover true joy inside the Baxter family.

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors, and LOVE STORY is just one of her stories that I highly recommend!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Karen Kingsbury is a #1 New York Times best-selling author showing the newest story of the Baxter family, and she is going back to where it all begins….

In LOVE STORY: A Novel (The Baxter Family Book 1), the interview is about how John and Elizabeth Baxter first fell in love, but this leads to current times in the life of the Baxter family and how those moments in history still infiltrate family life. John and his bride lived out their marriage for thirty years until her death, but John is enjoying retirement with his second wife, Elaine.

However, to relive his past brings his heart back to another. Is this fair to his wife? Will his past cause her distress? Would the pain of Elizabeth’s death from cancer bring the storied doctor to his knees, again?

A grandson’s heritage project has the power to create an impact. His grandmother loved him, and he knew Elizabeth before she died. Would John be able to live with Cole learning all about their story? From his love of their grandson, he agrees, but he knows the pain that he may cause them all. In this tale, his adult children do not yet know all of the details.

Now, John can see it is best to tell all.

Current times do not stand still for anyone as the story unfolds. Cole wants to know more about his life from his mother as his grandfather causes, even more, questions to come to mind, and Andi Ellison and Cody Coleman’s relationship wasn’t ever on the solid ground. As Cody gets a wake-up call on live television, he is either going to revive it or finally let it die.

If you have yet to meet the Baxters or if you have visited with them before, come visit them, now. Inside LOVE STORY, you will discover where it all begins and where your heart will meld with them.

Thoughts:

WHAT HOPE REMEMBERS (Misty Willow Book 3) by Johnnie Alexander begins with two people escaping their past by coming home to better memories, but their problems are easy to find as we fall into their stories while they run from the pain!

Gabe Kendall’s life in the Marine Corps didn’t end well. In fact, it ends with a prison term. While he is most comfortable keeping that time in life a mystery to others, it wouldn’t take long for facts to come out, and he is the one to do it. Burying his record is not possible, and to begin again, he must be up-front.

However, his return greets him with good and bad that comes with Misty Willow.

The ranch is in sad shape, and his good memories are being distorted by a special but forgotten time in life, as Gabe stands at the spot where it happened long ago….

Does he want something that can never begin again?

Meanwhile, Amy Somers is in Misty Willow after her time of power went wrong inside the political hub. In a world where power gives, even more, power, Amy lost herself while picking up issues along the way. From lies to cheats and thievery, the eye of a camera will see every flaw while Amy’s body pays a price far greater than it all. In almost gaining something important, she nearly lost her heart. There is still one person with whom her memories evoke emotions strong enough to topple her, but he no longer lives here.

We’ll feel the pain and enter the problems as they come to the surface, but those years old mistakes may still keep us wondering. Can two people renew themselves and pick up a healthy relationship at the same time? Alternatively, does their past keep them from pain by pulling them far away from love?

Is a haunting past ever truly buried?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In WHAT HOPE REMEMBERS Misty Willow Book 3 by Johnnie Alexander, Amy Somers loses her lobbyist position, the power it came with, and the heart of stone she gained as she moves to Misty Willow. A brother’s love and her almost withering away will bring a transformed character to a place where she tried to use destruction to suit her.

Amy is attempting to heal the situations and her body. However, is she ever far from the pain that she wears and the problems that she left behind?

Gabe Kendall is an ex-Marine who did not commit a crime, but he did a prison sentence that he did not deserve. With a family divided, he goes back to Misty Willow to heal and gain a life. Prison is still in his personality sans the locked doors, and he needs to find a purpose despite his shame. However, he looks around the ranch, and he sees all that is wrong since he’s been gone.

It’s a vibrant place now scarred with decay from his neglect. Once he sees Amy, his situation goes from hope to heartache in a matter of minutes!

Thoughts:

Through COME FLY WITH ME by Gina Welborn and Becca Whitham, we travel back to 1886 inside Helena, Montana Territory, as we tumble into a new story for Luanne Palmer when teaching and romance may not go together at all!

Luanne is a dedicating herself as a teacher, but her heart is suddenly clueless to this fact as feelings develop for Roy Bennett.

Roy’s traveling ways would lead to heartbreak and the end of a job she loves.

Meanwhile, Roy Bennett is actively pursuing a lovely woman. She is his friend’s sister, and her brother and sister are giving him advice in his quest. When Luanne Palmer seems to shrink back instead of drawing near, he begins to think that he’s making a mistake.

Choosing between love and employment is never an easy decision to make, but in landing a dented reputation, something entirely different emerges.

What does settling down actually mean? When should a marriage start?

In this quick read, you will find their answers inside a love story that isn’t supposed to be and one you do not want to end, but afterward, you’ll uncover upcoming reads and romance!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

COME FLY WITH ME by Gina Welborn and Becca Whitham is the beginning of A Montana Brides Romance where a celebrated journalist known for high-flying adventures and a schoolteacher could never be….

Luanne Palmer holds herself to the highest personal standard, by her teacher’s contract, but her developing feelings for Roy Bennett, who will soon be off to another adventure, is a colossal mistake. No, she may not be as against love as she thought, but she is certainly not willing to give up everything for that lofty goal.

Roy Bennett begins to understand.

Luanne Palmer does not want him around, and he’s been making a pest of himself. A way to make amends and impress her plus help her students comes to his attention, and he takes the opportunity.

How could he bring his aeronaut business to her classroom without it going wrong? When can one balloon race become one too many?

Thoughts:

Inside THE WHITE FEATHER MURDERS (Herringford and Watts Mysteries Book 3) by Rachel McMillan, I’m coming late to a series and discovering, even more, mysteries inside a Canadian, historical read which comes with many of today’s issues in our headlines!

Sleuthing with Merinda Herringford and Jem Watts, we are on the hunt in the Ward of Toronto upon issues happening with unsuspecting immigrants.

Notoriety can be liberating, but at the same time, it can be problematic. While empowering women in early 1900’s can not be an easy task, it becomes fashionable, but elites do not appreciate women in pants or inside the crime solving business.

Mysteries take us to dangerous situations, but oftentimes, we find ourselves without backup—save for a few close friends.

One murder happens inside a war declaration, and the mystery deepens. A solitary feather is not in one scene but two, tying both cases in one large puzzle. Meanwhile, news that Jem Watts is really Mrs. Jem DeLuca brings identity issues along for the ride, but once treachery comes close to home, friendships are tense and murder may come calling!

It is evident that politicking is a cutthroat career, but may it be deadly as well? How far up could this plot go?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

THE WHITE FEATHER MURDERS (Herringford and Watts Mysteries Book 3) by Rachel McMillan casts Toronto during 1914, and Merinda Herringford and Jem Watts have come to be a badge of female liberation.

However, the fresh from press fame does not shield them from World War I and all of its Canadian strife, but their recognition paints them with a bull’s–eye from Mayor Montague, both directly and indirectly. Is their Cartier Club a cause of murderous unrest?

Will one Italian husband and friend be taken from his family under the new alien identification process? Meanwhile, will Herringford and Watts survive the tumult of political corruption?

Thoughts:

FATAL MISTAKE: A Novel by Susan Sleeman pushes the button for suspense from the beginning hurling us into a headline thriller where romance erupts from inside the ashes!

Tara Parrish knows a criminal up close and personal, but she doesn’t know this man is the Lone Wolf until she discovers his hideout that is in plain sight. Frightened, she makes to dial the FBI hotline that’s been all over the news, but when the suspect enters the scene, Tara doubts she’ll still be alive once help shows up.

While the FBI needs a break, in this case, the hotline hasn’t turned a solid lead until a frightened Tara Parrish reaches out, and from what she describes, Cal is sure she has found him. The terror in her voice increases as the suspect returns. The six-month search is now depending on keeping this woman alive. His skills did not prepare him for what he is about to face!

Is it possible to save her life from miles away? Will the next explosion silence the future or will this case implode from fear alone?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In FATAL MISTAKE: A Novel by Susan Sleeman, FBI Agent Cal Riggins puts his life on the line to save others, but he picks up a call that changes this deadly investigation and brings him closer to the end.

An innocent stumbled upon a horrid scene, but Tara Parrish knows more than anyone else does about this man. As the clock ticks, Cal could hear the caller’s last breath. Even if he could get there, it may still end this same way. Only minutes away, he hears Tara’s labored footfalls, and he is thankful for that.

Once at the scene, he gets an earful of her sprint through the foliage as shots ring out!

Meanwhile, Tara Parrish scampers inside the tree line darting from anything that moves, but she is sure that she’ll never live to see the dawn of another day.

The FBI agent on the phone helped her to get free from a building, but he’s not here to prevent the next bullet from ripping through her.

Thoughts:

Author Jennifer LeClaire dares to take Scripture to heart and imagines a devotional in a conversational style through EVENINGS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

This difference makes for an enjoyable meditation for your heart to bond deeply in His Word, and it keeps you moving in faith through prayer, Bible study, and chosen verses. It serves as a daily reminder as we sludge through life’s problems to watch out for a trap of trying to handle things all on our own.

Journalizing comes back into focus inside an inspiring work of faith!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

End of the day prayers is growing, through Spirit led conversational devotions where faith comes alive in EVENINGS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT by Jennifer LeClaire!

Through her journal entries, a devotional style begins to lead a creative meditation to grow in faith through Scripture, prayer and Bible studies.

Thoughts:

WHAT THE BISHOP SAW by VANNETTA CHAPMAN leads us into an Amish mystery where all eyes are on the Bishop and the past he blatantly ignores.

In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, the growing season dawns, but the dry season is dangerous. Once a fire sparks things can move quickly, but something is amiss when fingers point in different directions. However, Bishop Henry Lapp moves us into action to bring about something he keeps hidden!

Only a few will talk about it, but he is the only one living with it.

The congregation has been through much in a short time, from the expectations that did not materialize to the loss of others that they love, but they hold on to Gotte and to each other. Sometimes, happenings will steer them onto a new path. It may be that sometimes a Bishop needs to let go, but his heart may forever change in the middle of it all.

Flames bring the fire department, the neighbors, and the police onto the scene, but a death lures an Arson Investigator to their community. While the Amish people want to handle disturbances without law enforcement, this cannot happen inside a murder investigation.

One can see but not give an accurate depiction that anyone could believe. While during other times, what one knows is more than anyone would ever see.

When does a gift become a burden and when does anger turn into murder?

These answers take shape inside an excellent beginning to a new series that will keep you reading!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In WHAT THE BISHOP SAW by VANNETTA CHAPMAN a fire takes a Colorado Amish community into a storm leaving death, damage, and destruction in its wake.

The dry season of San Luis Valley always becomes a danger, but when a fire is set to hide a body, everything inside this Plain community is about to go under an Arson Investigator’s purview. Outsiders are not welcome here, and the people seem to take prodding more personally to land them at the top of a suspect list for murder!

Vernon Frey’s list of possible enemies engulfs two worlds, and those in the congregation are not immune to the problems seen among the Englisch. In fact, some money issues and family problems still plague this community, but could someone they know have killed Vernon?

It has come time for Bishop Henry Lapp to unearth the truth in the only way he knows how.

While his position may be a gift, it is a tremendous responsibility to weigh heavily on a man, and to run away can seem the better answer. Faith gets him through with courage, and Henry does have friends to help him in this task. Emma Fisher helps the way she always does, but his heart teeters inside a new territory.

Could beauty come from the ashes and would Grace heal the broken hearts?

Thoughts:

THE BACHELOR’S TWINS by Kathryn Springer begins with a past one cannot escape, but while someone may bury it, another will keep it as if it will be a forever affliction!

However, with two young siblings, the past has no part in their present.

For their mom’s birthday, the Leighton twins book a dream day off, but for Anna Leighton, this is a nightmare coming to life. She harbors a secret to keep away from a man who has drawn her twins to him, but Anna would rather they liked another. No, it isn’t because she fears him.

She fears he knows about the things she’s been hiding.

The persistence of two little girls despite their family ties is charming Liam Kane as we fall in love with him. They are determined to make him feel as if he is part of their family, but would they feel that way if they knew of his thoughts of their father? He still lives the guilt of almost destroying a relationship by his own lot in life. His own mind and his own experience only manufactured what he thought he saw and dutifully challenged.

His reality was the warning he needed to remain single. On the other hand, maybe he just refused to be like the man that had been in his family.

In Castle Falls, can we ever begin again or will the past cave in upon us?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside THE BACHELOR’S TWINS by Kathryn Springer, high school seems like just yesterday where secrets are concerned.

Anna Leighton has eight-year-old twins, owns two businesses, and will never seek out help. Her sleepless nights are not from motherhood, but from working too hard as a single mom. Her daughters come up with the best gift, and it’s free too!

The only person leading this tour is the one man Anna has been running from for ten long years.

Liam Kane is an outdoorsman with a history he will not forget, and his number comes up to lead the trip that puts his high school crush in the center of his path. However, he will never feel comfortable around her since what had happened many years ago.

She loved another, and he misread the other boy’s intention and had the gall to tell her about it. Later, it was the death of her husband loading him with even more guilt, and he is sure it only fortifies the barrier separating them. In the meantime, her twins seem content not only to seek him out but also to put him next to their mother at every opportunity.

Thoughts:

As the month of April can be financially taxing, NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess becomes the place we can go to find the keys to calm the next year’s confusion in advance!

This read will guide your mindset, your understanding, and your piece of the pie with easy to learn and to apply principles that we cannot bury in our handfuls of payments, debts, and leftovers. Our focus will be on understanding that faith, life, and finance happen all at once or even all together and balance is still possible.

If you are anxious around budgets or not great with understanding debits and credits, your eyes will not glaze over reading NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess, the fear of finances and the causes of these are addressed in real life scenarios bringing about a new understanding in today’s situations.

Issues of life, faith, and money appear throughout Scripture along with contentment, stewardship, and charity.

A seasoned counselor of finance and an accomplished author combines his money management prowess and principles in the areas of living, faith, and family to demonstrate how each area is coupled and not separated.

Thoughts:

In BEYOND JUSTICE by Cara C. Putman, we are into legal suspense with a ferocious kick where time is of the essence!

Legal cases could be a matter of life and death, and when a win means justice, it belongs to Hayden McCarthy.

We are tackling a wrongful death case with a DC up-and-coming attorney whose reputation is both revered and misunderstood. Hayden is coming in with a celebration glow from her win of the not winnable case, and the law partners have their eye on her.

It could be because she is on the road to becoming the youngest partner at this high-powered law firm or it could something far worse.

When Hayden McCarthy, Esquire is handed another case with an impatient air, a thin guise, and an even skinnier file, she’s not sure where she stands as her boss and mentor’s hard-driving attitude seems much different than usual. He’s taking a chance on her to get this case moving, and he lets her know her future could be in jeopardy with a loss.

High pressure is something Hayden is sure able to handle, but this file causes her to question what she has gotten into, as things just do not add up.

A client doesn’t return calls, paper or digitized copies become sparse, and meetings become one-sided conversations, but a picture develops to have Hayden wanting justice.

However, it may be her own firm that wants this case to die.

The questions are only deepening as the stress is getting unbearable, and the Federal Government has their own way to get out of facing justice.

Romance is the last thing Hayden has on her mind, but her friend will see her situation much differently. Her roommate’s cousin and a Congressman’s son should not be seen anywhere near Hayden. Andrew’s face is plastered all over as the DC most eligible bachelor, but her face could get a feature on the DC list of most wanted. Should this case against the government come to only half of what she believes it warrants, she may face their justice for exposing it all.

However, Andrew may be in the same danger that she is facing, and a child is sitting in the middle of all of this mess.

Will Andrew cut his ties and be like the Washington élite, or will he have the heart she believes that he does? In the meantime, can they stay safe long enough for her to figure how deep a murderous cover-up will go?

A story that could be out in today’s headlines becomes suspense-fueled once immigration meets our borders in a different tale than most could ever predict!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Hayden’s background gives a need for justice, and she takes it on every case. After winning another, she is back to reality as soon as she’s assigned a wrongful death case.

However, this case is coming from a different angle and from a different position as that of those she worked already.

One partner believes in her, but his demeanor seems to say otherwise.

This partner is saying one thing and doing another as Hayden is feeling a pull into the wrong end of this fight. She comes closer to the door of the law firm than to a partnership position when her personal life seems to connect to a file in her hand.

Romance is not in her future, but this relationship is tangible enough to come into an intersection of law and justice and Washington politics. What do one kid, one Congressman, and one friend’s relation have in common? The Federal Government, Washington influences, and one family connects in the scariest of ways.

Problems become greater while Hayden’s fear increases and affiliations become even more dangerous!

Is justice beyond reach or could justice mean she’s going down just to keep politics in the clear? Will anyone help keep her out of the deep-rooted crosshairs?

If she closes this case or suddenly disappears, who will protect the next victim?

Thoughts:

In reading SUNSET IN OLD SAVANNAH (Secrets of the South Mysteries Book 4) by Mary Ellis, I am uncovering more books to read inside this funny, mystery-laden series!

Working inside Price Investigations, we are on a case where infidelity leads to murder. As we are grasping at clues, digging up suspects, and falling in love, we’re taking chances, facing danger, and at times, coming into narrow escapes from creepy characters.

The senior investigator is Elizabeth Kirby, and she is forming a reason for this hire before meeting our client. However, once she meets Evelyn Doyle, the costly divorce case she’s envisioning hits a few bumps. Yes, this socialite believes her wealthy husband is cheating, but she is not looking to net his money. Evelyn Doyle wants to win her husband’s heart, again. As this couple is not young nor is their marriage, they are not just suffering the loss of a honeymoon mentality, but by all accounts, these folks have a time-tested relationship where mistakes can be overcome. Nevertheless, can the known meet the unknown in relationship issues and still find forgiveness?

Meanwhile, Michael Preston was once the newest member of the team, and Elizabeth Kirby, in fact, trained him. Michael is coming into his own with investigations, and his accounting skills and computer investigation techniques bring more scope into the facts. His findings will outweigh her take at times, but his feelings for her seem to grow with his admiration of her. Again, their boss determining to uncover the facts teams them up only the truth is hiding away from their home office.

Traveling together brings other problems into a case that can make or break working relationships. Add to this, the lies and secrets interjected by the death of their latest subject and the guilt piles on even as we meet the newest member of Price Investigations.

Having been introduced to this series inside book four, SUNSET IN OLD SAVANNAH (Secrets of the South Mysteries Book 4), I fell in love with two characters falling love. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the Price Investigations team and to learning their stories!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

SUNSET IN OLD SAVANNAH (Secrets of the South Mysteries Book 4) by Mary Ellis turns a broken vow into a twister and the price of a misstep can be murder!

Evelyn Doyle is an upper crusted member of the elite living on Tybee Island. As her husband has been stepping out on her, she decides to hire an outside investigator to find out the facts. Her years of this marriage tell her this misstep can be a midlife crisis. He is not a womanizer by nature, and she is willing to forgive once everything is on the table.

Price Investigations is now on a potential divorce case, but it is not the standard fare as they usually trend.

The two investigators assigned are Elizabeth Kirby and Michael Preston. These two make great friends and a great team, but things can get rocky inside a case where death comes into the mix. Their case moves swiftly from a routine investigation to them searching for a killer while keeping an open mind about the innocence of their client becomes impossible.

A husband dies from unnatural causes, and the prime suspect isn’t far from home. Evelyn’s knowledge of his affair plus her hiring of private investigators makes her the police chief’s target.

Price Investigation’s roster of suspects is growing rapidly while the police chief’s focus does not seem to budge.

From sleazy business arrangements and their cohorts to a black sheep brother, the murderous pool increases even beyond the kept woman and her friends.

The firm’s reputation is getting more cases than it can handle, and the boss puts out a call for them to make another investigative hire. In walks, Kaitlyn Webb whose past comes to meet present and danger hovers all around!

Thoughts:

In BURIED SECRETS by Rachel J Good, Emma Esh is impulsive, speaks up for herself, and can be honest to a fault, but she is not a complete person by her own standards.

Everyone has his or her yesteryear, but Emma remembers today and only parts her past. She wants to know why things happen to her but much of her is too scared to find out. She is well despite an accident that could have left her dead, but her memory of at least a year before is missing adding trauma inside those days of recovery to steal her playful personality.

Now, while living with her sister to help with her expected twins, Emma cannot but feel the pressure of censure by her sibling’s voice or a need to change by Lydia’s open disapproval.

Emma is prone to speak up even in her childhood years, but although she is mature, her father is evasive, her mother is harsh, and her sister acts as if she is still childlike. Something about that lost year froze them in time even as Emma became a young woman! All this could be due to her irrational fears, reclusiveness, or even from Emma’s perceived frailty, but her sister’s cringe-worthy looks, stares, and spoken thoughts suggest something more.

From the garden to a dog, her quiet life becomes anything but once she meets the family member of her neighbor.

Meanwhile, Samuel Troyer is here to help his onkel Eli with planting and harvesting since the death of his wife and to allow his own heart to heal. Sam’s betrothed was unfaithful, and he is not ready to court yet. However, a former stray dog brings him into the most uncomfortable situations with a beautiful woman next door.

Her laughter is contagious, as her smile is a blast of sunshine. However, what draws him to her is that she is unlike many meek Amish women searching for a spouse. Emma Esh is like a breath of fresh air to a wounded heart. However, his time around her seems to bring out something from her past that keeps him at times distant and at other times running to her aide.

Despite all of this, her strengths remain her honesty and her personality. No, maybe he was not ready to feel something for another, at this point in his life, but he wonders.

When does fear become a social problem anyway?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

BURIED SECRETS by Rachel J Good brings a woman from death’s door into a murky past to live a better life. Moreover, one man takes her from panic to fortitude in embracing it.

Emma Esh is a survivor, but the shards of trauma have her life at a standstill.

As she helps her sister and brother-in-law prepare for the expected twins, Emma understands true love. A desire for her life to be different from the sum of her fear grows, but her courage is weak. When a stranger next door helps Emma gain strength to face her issues, a visitor from the past reemerges, and her sister’s twins come early!

As the family assembles with this news, the lines from past and present blur revealing painful secrets to keep Emma stuck inside of her mistakes.

Thoughts:

SACRED LOVE: A Journey of Singleness, Belonging, and Finding True Love by Claudia Cantrell with Kim P. Davis brings us along in life. From heartbreak through pain and family issues unto death and beyond wading through career struggles and failures, we will see into our own journeys through anger, forgiveness, doubt, fear, mistakes, wishes for a do-over, wanting acceptance, and needing repentance. All the while, we sort through our emotions and realize our need of letting go.

Her life story highlights struggles in the same areas for all of us, in varying degrees at different points in time. What sometimes will seem so very right will seem all so very wrong as we fight for control that we’ve never had and would be happier without. Why can’t we just let it go?

I highly recommend Claudia Cantrell’s story as she brings Scripture into our focus and into our interaction with others, using God’s Word throughout the stages of life.

It is humbling to see yourself in this read and to find through your own experience that it is too easy to take the lead. Due to pride, want, and self-sufficiency to the extreme, we take our own directions when what we really need to do is follow instead. Inside you will find many points where you relate to her struggle, and to your own surprise, you will say that was I too! All the while, you will learn through Biblical terms where you need to take heed inside of your current day.

Claudia Cantrell with Kim P. Davis will take you into Claudia’s life and out of your own, placing you where you need to be on your own journey.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

SACRED LOVE: A Journey of Singleness, Belonging, and Finding True Love by Claudia Cantrell with Kim P. Davis introduces us to Claudia Cantrell. Her amazing career spans continents inside the medical industry to land an amazing story of her life.

In happy times and crushing times, we are her traveling companions as she tries to find love while she’s missing the love of God. She is semi-faithful and fully damaged through pain, mistakes, self-doubt, and solitude. Overpowered in her spiritual life, she runs aground in both success and failure as guilt leaves its miles long trail until Claudia surrenders, and then she finds a better way of life because through Jesus Christ she finds true love.

SACRED LOVE: A Journey of Singleness, Belonging, and Finding True Love by Claudia Cantrell with Kim P. Davis is a chronicle providing a call to us. Will we begin our own sojourn toward repentance, transformation, and surrender?

Thoughts:

Inside A TEMPORARY FAMILY by Sherri Shackelford, we travel back to the end of the civil war. Where the Gold Rush blends into the Western way of life and pioneers build towns or leave them abandoned, a stagecoach brings weary travelers toward their destination as trouble lurks around the corner.

However, when criminals plow into the lives of law-abiding folk any day becomes even more dangerous!

Tilly Hargreaves should be happy this war ended, but with the end of these horrid conflicts, the end of her employment arrives. The men returning from war are back at their jobs casting Tilly out of the office and into the home. Tilly is far from her peers inside the domestic affairs as sewing, baking, and cooking, but she found her niche working in her father’s law firm. Her job provided no pay, but she was not doing other homemaker chores either.

Her life is taking on more changes and not all are good.

Her sister, Eleanor, will be closer in location due to the death of her husband. While she loves her sister, her insistent critiques are not a thing to love, but for now, she’s traveling with just her three nieces. Although the stagecoach travel is rough, Tilly enjoys time with the children. Everything is going just fine until one of her nieces becomes ill.

This sickness begins a chain of events that will not leave everyone secure. In fact, she’s hard-pressed to believe they will make it out alive.

Meanwhile, Nolan West’s quest for solitude brings him to work for a stagecoach line at a remote relay station in an abandoned town. He deals with people just briefly enough to attend to their needs before they’re off to their next stop.

With an empty town around him, Nolan hopes to heal from his time as a prisoner. He was on the wrong side, of course, and was not far into the war when captured. Watching others around him die and his remaining alive facing the various afflictions of his confinement left him different, but Nolan is beginning to believe he may never change back to the man he once had been. His new idiosyncrasies drove him away from his father and away from civilization.

Today proceeds as any other day would have until a little girl becomes too ill to travel, but the stagecoach still must make it to the next stop. One woman and three children can be hard on his need for peace and quiet, but the empty town has more than enough quiet space until this situation passes.

However, three armed men on horseback bring even more trouble.

A gold shipment is to come through his town, and these criminals will intercept it without any fear of using Nolan and his charges as hostages. Nolan sees a chance to help keep this family safe. Posing as Tilly’s husband enables him to constantly be with them, but this makes him fight to keep his own nightmares away. All too soon, he goes from needing to be alone to never being able to leave Tilly and the children while these men up the ante with menacing and threats.

Will they survive these days before the even shipment arrives? What will happen to them once the gold is here?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

A TEMPORARY FAMILY by Sherri Shackelford begins at a stagecoach relay station and feeding stop inside an abandoned town where guests quickly come and go.

Nolan West relishes this quiet as he copes with being a former prisoner of the Civil War, but a sick girl, her siblings along with their aunt is about to change everything. Clearly, this couldn’t get more uncomfortable for him, but he cannot change the course of events.

However, some things have a way of changing all by themselves once the unexpected looms.

Tilly Hargreaves is grateful for the place to stay through this child’s illness, but the standoffish stagecoach man is not at all happy. She can understand why a man would feel so, and she tries to lessen the awkwardness through conversation. However, this seems to make him even more distant. Content with his stance, she tends to these children best as she can.

Mr. West seems more on edge the minute more men show up.

It does not take her long to see their exchange unfold and understand these men aren’t friends and in fact, they’re outlaws. One mistakes Tilly as Nolan’s wife, and he sticks to the claim. This distant man just puts himself with her and the girls to save them and keep himself as their protector.

Meanwhile, this bargain is sure to have a higher cost for all involved.

The more these two are together the more they realize all they do not have. Will their goals change or will they never live to see any of them through?

Thoughts:

ANNIE’S RECIPE by Lisa Jones Baker is an Amish tale where past and present meet to put a future into question! Can romance come from the ruins?

The practice of shunning is a disciplinary tactic, but these consequences may leave a community partially divided. However, the hardest hit will always be the children of those sanctioned.

A childhood ripping apart leaves scars.

We journey into the deepest point of view from happiest of times to a painstaking end as a wedding brings community and family together. Although, no one expects to see one cousin and former member, but Levi Miller brings a smile just for Annie Mast making her childhood seem only yesterday.

Her best friend from those younger years stands before her as an English man now. It is amazing that despite these differences, Levi is the same friend as before. He is kind, sweet, funny, and still protective of Annie. Their time-honored friendship did not suffer from ravages of time but rather from hardships associated with his parents, but their personal relationship is still an easy one.

However, as joyous as the earlier years were, those later years are shackled to his family’s heartbreak. His father is a shunned man pushing the family out of their community and out their lives.

How can he care this much for Annie and at the same time be angry at the whole Amish community for their horrid betrayal? He was old enough to understand why they packed their things to leave without a goodbye, but he was too young to comprehend how punishments could be so cruel. His family is at peace with it all and doing well, but for Levi, his heart never mends.

As much as visiting his best friend is a balm for the past, their connection is growing to a place where it cannot survive.

He can’t stay inside this community, and she cannot leave.

Could this return leave Levi more brokenhearted than his leaving years ago? Will feelings become their own source of resentment? Can friendship ever become more?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside ANNIE’S RECIPE, author Lisa Jones Baker brings dreams to life as circumstances move from good to bad!

Within ten years time, things change but another remains the same. Problems seem different in retrospect and harder to bridge as time moves along, but other issues come into play once the young grow up and life choices mean for life.

Returning to his former hometown, Levi Miller is an English man, and while his arrival is well received, his family would not be welcome here. His father was shunned from this Amish community. However, he is here for a cousin’s wedding and an informal type of closure to life that used to belong to him too. His early years brought him much joy and a faithful friend, but seeing Annie Mast all grown up is something he simply was not expecting.

Yet this youngster is now a woman and her personality is even more endearing.

Meanwhile, Annie Mast is sure that rumors already started. Her being with this friend years ago was not a problem, but today, it can very much become an issue inside her Amish community. His being English is not her only problem. Annie’s issue is that Levi Miller shows himself as just a grown up version of her sweet friend.

They have shared memories and a painful past colliding only to bloom!

Her parents worry she is falling away from her faith, but she is falling in love. Annie prays these emotions will go away. Can one prayer’s answer lead to a life-changing event?

Thoughts:

ATTEND: Forty Soul Stretches Toward God by Laura Davis Werezak drops you into a very different set-up and meaning of this one word. Really? Seriously? Yep!

This Inspirational read takes you from a dictionary explanation into the Biblical sense of the word in a simple, fast, and direct way. While you are there, you will begin to see things differently, approach things in a deliberate way, and come closer to faith in devotion. As this author is aware, today’s world will move you without you even realizing it.

Have you noticed?

One sound will have anyone look at their “smartphone” in the middle of a face-to-face conversation while another alert will have someone walking with their head down and eyes focusing on something other than their surroundings. From worry to a never-ending to-do list, we interact with our world much different today from ever before. However, being in a hyper-state of contact is costing us a great deal. We are filling the emptiness with noise and the search for peace with activity.

You stop to wonder about why, and you will come up short on answers.

Meanwhile, we are moving away from what our soul longs for and needs. We are sidetracking and very much snarling ourselves in duties, responsibilities, friendships, follows, and the instant gratification ways of today that we don’t recognize God in our daily lives.

God is there, wanting you to move closer.

You can discover where you are on the road of faith and come closer than you could imagine by a mindset based upon on the Bible. As the author shows through her own experience, sometimes even by doing the “right” things you will not get to where you need to be. However, by small adjustments in your mindset, stance, and expectations, you will move and stretch toward God and understand the true meaning of your soul need.

Take deliberate steps to accept a peace that is all around us by simply learning the real meanings of Attend, and you’ll find God there for you!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Laura Davis Werezak’s ATTEND: Forty Soul Stretches Toward God provides forty everyday and practical ways to encounter God in today’s never stop engaging world. These simple reminders of life outside of today’s tech-filled ways bring a newness to leaning toward God and bring daily rituals into focus. When the road you are traveling moves your presence away from God, it’s an easy path back to feel God’s Presence every day.

Simple exercises and steps will stretch you from underneath the heap of distractions to make something as simple as opening a window a way toward GOD!

Thoughts:

Inside RESCUE ME (Montana Rescue Book 2) by Susan May Warren, we are thrown into the thunderous lives of Deputy Sam Brooks—the Search and Rescue police liaison—and the PEAK Rescue team of Montana!

Deputy Sam Brooks lives with hurt and anger that strangles his heart within his family drama. His mother’s cancer struggle heaps more traumas on a life that he keeps calm on purpose. At least one of the two Brooks sons is predictable. His brother, Pete Brooks is a whole different story, and he is Sam’s forever problem. Creating an intersection between love and hate, Pete adds trouble and pain to mix with poor choices and adrenaline junkie tendencies keeping Sam somewhere between finding and fixing him.

Meanwhile, Willow Rose is a youth leader hoping to occupy the youth pastor position, but she comes with qualification problems. From education to a previous mistake that put herself and her charges in danger, a while back, she still has much to prove to take the lead. Her youth group activities are her life now, and that is the way she wants it. Willow understands these kids and is having a positive effect on them.

She has no distractions, although the man Willow loves is dating her sister, Sierra.

Her sister’s heart is on the mend from having been shredded by another, and she deserves Sam Brooks. He is better suited for her, and Willow does not have the time to waste anywhere other than her career building challenge until danger calls and Sam Brooks and Willow find themselves in an intimate moment where everything changes! Willow knows he must love her sister while Sam is positive that Sierra is the more stable and predictable sibling, right?

Sierra was not available at that moment, but happenstance put Willow there. As usual, she is wearing her heart for the world to see, and this gets worse by those few minutes in his arms. However, it only becomes more difficult once her career takes a major hit.

The new youth Pastor comes on the next youth outing while Sierra and Sam will too until Sierra pulls the unpredictable!

Once danger strikes, again, we will wonder about where everything is leading. Will everyone survive? Can Sam and Willow come to a correct and happy resolution in this unexpected family drama?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

RESCUE ME (Montana Rescue Book 2) by Susan May Warren places Deputy Sam Brooks between the Mercy Falls Sheriff’s Department and the PEAK Rescue Team as a Police Liaison.

However, drama and danger worsen as winter closes in on Montana!

Two brothers share a deadly past but are now on the same team. Forgiveness stays far behind them. Sam Brooks fights to keep life from falling apart while a perfect relationship with Sierra Rose cannot get off the ground. His brother struts in to act as if he can control the world. He can’t. Sam’s father paid the ultimate price for his dangerous ways. Now, his mother’s cancer builds in more resentment for Peter’s selfish inclinations.

Meanwhile, Willow’s upbringing provides labels of hippie, rash, and flighty, but she is a dedicated group leader wanting to be more in her church. Willow hopes to attain the position of youth Pastor. There is more to be done to prove her worthy, after a dangerous mess up. However, she is confident her relationships and bonds she maintains with these kids will win the day. She understands them and helps them reach for the stars while keeping Biblically sound.

Not wanting any disastrous relationship issues to interfere with her new career, she keeps clear of Deputy Sam Brooks.

A dangerous storm and a group outing collide. These two face danger together. They realize their opposite personalities could just become their strong suit as feelings emerge. However, they must outlive the harsh weather conditions and keep everyone else alive to make any lasting changes!

Thoughts:

Inside RAGING STORM (The Remnant Book 2) by Vannetta Chapman, we are deeper into the future without everything we have today. This grim take off on our dependence on technology, electricity, and running water will make us view our current standard of living as soft and pampered!

Again, we must ask ourselves would anything like this become our catastrophic ending, and how would we survive?

Life inside contemporary, Texas without air conditioning, telephone, medical supplies, medications, and groceries is not only bleak but also dangerous. Without access to emergency services crime doesn’t spike, it soars out of control while fires and explosions take lives and ravage neighborhoods, towns, and cities. The creature comforts of the recent past feel like a light-year away in this time warped future, but the worst is yet to come.

Shelby Sparks has one son, and Carter Sparks is an insulin-dependent diabetic. Without it, Carter can’t survive. He has enough for this month. What will he do for next month and the one after that? There is no drug manufacturer to contact and no future supply to arrive.

With the help of Max Berkman and a few friends, Shelby tries to get to Austin, Texas. However, the fuel for this trip is as hard to get as gold while the streets, highways, and bridges are littered with abandoned vehicles, walking wounded, anarchists, and criminals. Worse could not even happen until they begin to wonder if they can trust each other as things start to deteriorate even more.

Someone may not be the person you believe him or her to be while others may not always be trustworthy. Instincts are not always correct and logic does not always follow a path. Few stereotypical depictions will show the faults of others, but sometimes, the main surprise is the expectation.

When a government is not always out to help you, the Remnant will still be there.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

RAGING STORM (The Remnant Book 2) by Vannetta Chapman overlays the solar flare destruction of our grid with lawlessness, anarchy, coup attempts, and desperation that follows it all!

Shelby Sparks is safe with her son, Carter. However, for how long? Supplies will run low, and somehow they need to get more insulin for Carter or he will not survive. At a farm with Max Berkman, Shelby has the basics of food and a stream of water, but other items of the past are long gone. Staying hunkered down is not going to make insulin appear for the next month or the next year. Shelby needs to get into a city where a supply could be and the capital has the best chances of having one.

She with Max and friends move out of safety and into harm’s way not knowing what encounters lay ahead, but quickly, these folks realize the stabilization of a government is part of the past. The carnage, wreckage, and despair they encounter can not only shake faith and break a heart, but it could easily take the life of one they love.

Here they come to face situations inside Austin, Texas of life and death to learn that America isn’t the only one in chaos. This is a world event, and what they came for seems like no more than a dream turning nightmare.

When it becomes clear whom they can trust and whom they must break away from, it will be a do or die endeavor!

Thoughts:

TWO SUITORS FOR ANNA (A Keepsake Pocket Quilt Novel Book 3) by Molly Jebber brings us into an Amish community where dreams of marriage proposals and first loves come alive in 1903.

Anna Plank is living a new life inside Berlin, Ohio’s Amish community. Her first love’s relationship is years old, and things are progressing toward a lasting relationship with some hiccups along the way. She’s managing Grace’s Dry Goods Shop and works with her schweschder, Leah, while her widowed Mamm is working at the General Store. She enjoys the closeness to her family as they work and care for their home.

However, a marriage proposal hits Anna with not only surprise but much trepidation as well. She and Noah Schwartz have hit a rough patch. Now, it wasn’t the best time for their marriage to begin. In fact, his demeanor as of late is far from loving, and Anna’s irritation is growing. This was not a one-sided relationship before, but it does seem to be tilting that way.

When his proposal comes too quickly, with a stipulation that they would be moving, Anna’s need for time to think only grows. Her doubts are closing in around her, and she could think of nothing else until he demands an answer as he scheduled to leave for Lancaster with or without her.

Brokenhearted and confused, she continues on a solitary life, but the newest young man inside the community manages to put a smile on her face.

Daniel Bontrager is faithful, gracious, kind, selfless, and handsome, but now was not the time for such thoughts. It would be unseemly for Anna to seem as if she moves from one to another, and his friendship grows to include her family as well.

Does love just sneak up on the unsuspecting?

For Anna, it seems to do just that until Noah returns to declare his intentions to her.

Meanwhile, for Daniel Bontrager, Noah’s return to the community creates more problems than he could ever imagine!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

TWO SUITORS FOR ANNA (A Keepsake Pocket Quilt Novel Book 3) by Molly Jebber is a historical, Amish novel bringing life to 1903 inside Ohio’s Amish community. Anna Plank dreams of a wedding and her close-knit family being a new beginning, but she would never have even thought of it as an ending!

Unfortunately, she faces this circumstance with much indecision as her longtime love is presenting marriage with an unthinkable catch. Her community and family believe Noah and she will wed as their course charted this way for some years now. However, Noah’s personality once endearing has become demanding, and his inconsiderate proposal is breaking Anna’s heart.

Should a bride need to choose to leave her family and community to marry and live elsewhere? How could Noah Schwartz expect this when his own Mamm is a widow as is hers?

Choices for Anna are to remain the same or move on. Noah now says he is going on this trip with or without her, and he demands an answer! Can love stand still or does it need to grow?

While Daniel Bontrager’s arrival in Berlin, Ohio is a painful one, he is making the right decision. His family has dwindled through death, and his bruder’s house is now empty. Jonathan’s close community extends much welcome to Daniel, and he meets a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she is spoken for, but he does enjoy friendship with her and her family.

Once her beau leaves, his faith is called upon to understand his feelings for her and how best to handle them.

Thoughts:

STILL LIFE Chesapeake Valor Book #2 by Dani Pettrey stages photography, mystery, and suspense in such a way that keeps you guessing, all the while bringing characters closer to love!

Avery Tate knows hardship, love, photography, and crime scene investigation, but her past and future collide with heartbreaking results. Avery is out of crime scene investigation but gut-wrenching circumstances bring her back onto the scene when a friend goes missing.

Skylar Pierce is turning her life around and scoring big in the process. Sky lands a modeling gig inside the same industry that shuns Avery, but she’ll muddle through to support her friend even when Avery is facing some unsavory people. However, she is the only one at the show who cares about Sky. The photographer cares about his ego, and Avery’s background comes to haunt her in a worrisome way. The FBI and the police won’t take this case seriously. She’s the only one willing to find out more about a grisly photograph that one artist wants to be trashed while the gallery owner tries to keep his own reputation stain free among the industry elite.

There really is only one person she can call to process a scene that nobody cares about, but it comes with a cost.

Parker Mitchell knows crime scenes, and he used to have Avery Tate working by his side. However, she left. He knows it is for the best, and he knows he’s far from a person ready for something more. His heart does not believe it, and his courage to talk with her is waning until she calls him.

The pain in her eyes, the hurt on her face, and the case that no one believes in brings Parker near-at-hand and maybe even just a bit closer to understanding himself before this case takes another direction.

He could lose Avery for good!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside STILL LIFE Chesapeake Valor Book #2 by Dani Pettrey, Avery Tate’s photography controversy is already behind her—in fact, she’s making another entrance into this field only to help a friend, but her friend is gone!

The grotesque exhibit is enough to steal Avery’s breath away, but she stays anyway. Problems begin once her friend who models don’t show and her photo becomes the center of attention when the artist denies this shot as his own. From stolen art to new creations and to the missing and the found this romantic suspense tale brings two people back together to solve the crime.

However, the past lay out before them putting emotions on display and time is moving fast. When someone gains a target everything changes and danger comes near!

Thoughts:

I AM: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is by Michele Cushatt cuts to the heart of the problems facing today’s woman. When everything from looks to likes and popularity to education is being looked at, compared to, and struggled toward, this author shows us that we are enough as we are, where we are, and how we are through Him!

As we try to please everyone else, we deny ourselves the opportunities to be who He created us to be through Him.

We point to the many ways this is better, that is better, and there is better than whom, what, and where, but we place our hope in things that are overlooked by Him. He sees inside. We compare ourselves to others, and we are forgetting a simple fact. There is no one else like us in this world. Michele Cushatt makes it easy to see that you are you, I am I, and He loves us just the way we are. Worthy describes us already. In this world, laudability is forever changing because there is always someone more than the last. However, in His eyes, we are beautifully the way He designed us to be.

We will begin to see ourselves as we are known to Him to reverse our own negative self-talk, views, and judgments using Scriptures, prayers, and personal stories to remember that we are enough!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

No matter what we do, how we do it, or why it is needed, a woman will question themselves, their capabilities, and their strength to get it done.

She will compare herself to her counterparts using society’s barometer in every comparison as she questions her worthiness. In today’s world where more is never enough and where there is always more to do, a woman struggles to be better than what is seen, shown, or lauded as she questions herself every step of the way. Am I enough?

However, the brutality of cancer changed Michele Cushatt in all the ways she could think of and then some while casting a soul-searching discovery of herself, despite pitfalls of everyday life with this changed woman. Forced to unlearn her own negative self-talk, multi-societal opinions, and her actual old life, she begins to believe what God sees and forgive herself too. Her faith is tested only to rebound, and she becomes even more faithful and forever closer to Him.

Michele Cushatt stopped her roller-coaster ride to realize her value is not found in talents, goals, marriages, motherhood, or looks. It is found in His creation and as He chooses us to be.

Thoughts:

In BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE by Colleen Coble, we are on tour with a band from Ireland called Ceol, and in spite of the perils of fame, we visit romance at its finest until danger’s explosion changes everything!

Alanna Connolly is a young, pregnant widow lost without a connection in this world to call her own besides her band mates. With Liam gone, her grief is all encompassing, but she is carrying their baby. He is her anchor. Trying to patch together a family from Liam’s side, she tries to lighten their grief by telling them of the baby. However, this development is just what this powerful family uses to keep her latched. Her Irish past wasn’t the norm in the nation, and they plan to use it against her, but she will not let them take her baby.

Her band manager steps up and offers her a business proposal. He’ll marry her to help get her a U. S. citizenship to keep herself out of their clutches while she takes her time to grieve and begin again.

While this marriage of convenience seems to be the answer, Alanna is a vulnerable foreigner in Charleston, SC with doubts about many things, and her grief is playing havoc with her heart, mind, and sensibility. Her band mates help to keep her grounded, but with everything from gators to human screams, these pages keep turning as we wonder about those close to home!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Colleen Coble shadows Charleston, South Carolina in danger throughout BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE.

A foreigner in the United States is grief-stricken by the loss of her husband. The light was just beginning to shine brightly on Ceol, a Celtic band, under new management. A powerful explosion makes Alanna Connolly a pregnant, widow with no family and few friends. Alanna is longing to be in Ireland to raise her child, but her husband’s family is powerful with connections. Not waiting to see her father-in-law carry out his threat, she runs.

Her band manager makes a deal that will protect her and the baby, but she has doubts before she signs. Unfortunately, she’s out of options.

This man extends a helping hand to her complete with his home and his name to get Alanna out of harm’s way from Liam’s family.

Is this all there is to the story?

Although she had met her husband through his best friend, she dislikes the man. Jesse is the only survivor of one fateful night so that he is not a friend to Alanna. A man with his reputation is still walking the earth while the good man that was her husband is gone. He is her enemy. Wanting nothing to do with Jesse Hawthorne, she keeps her distance, but he does not follow her lead.

Is guilt eating at him or is there more manipulation in Jesse than anyone really knows?

He wants to be a band member, and Alanna will not accept this. However, she does not have the sole decision, and the manager isn’t forbidding his inclusion. Why? Stuck in a horrid situation with all the pain it brings she slides backward into grief and loses some of her reality in the process. Then it all becomes clear to her.

She’s in danger, and the spotlight is shining brightly in Charleston instead of Ireland!

Thoughts:

FINDING MARGO (Finding Home Book 1) is first in a series by Jen Turano, and I’m looking forward to Book 2!

This read is a best-selling, historical author’s first published title inside the contemporary market. With a hard act to follow from her previous quirky characters, she meets that challenge and surpasses the goal all the while adding mystery to her contemporary repertoire.

Margo Hartman is an international Pop Star on the lam. She is finding her celebrity, burnout inducing lifestyle trying and exhausting, and her tyrant stage mother is excessive and burdensome. Margo needs a change to recharge, to review, and to rediscover her. Somewhere under all the glitz that is glamor, Margo hides. She is young and vibrant but not ready for another tour. She loves singing, but she does not enjoy the theatrics of the press.

Outrunning family, paid help, bodyguards, and paparazzi, she manages to get herself in a country living experiment. A city-bred well to do should not be enjoying the ride, but Margo can breathe here. Despite this enjoyment, her lack of recent driving experience catches her in some trouble. On an Amish county road, she hits a duck, makes a friend, and uncovers the dangers of being without a bodyguard!

If a camera shot appears in the tabloids or a press hound is her only problem, she would be safe, but she wouldn’t have met a Sheriff’s deputy. However, he doesn’t seem to believe a word she says.

Brock Moore is a temporary deputy pursuing a case that means too much to let go. The tricky part of this undercover, FBI assignment comes once a woman walks in wearing a laundry list of high-priced merchandise while trying to portray herself as just passing by. However, her name is something she will not reveal, but then she matches a famed cartoon character. How does she not understand this alone would make anyone suspicious?

Cute and funny only go so far when a car accident leaves a victim and a shooter targets this same person. A stalled case and a new crime meet up in a town where secrets are still hiding!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

FINDING MARGO (Finding Home Book 1) by Jen Turano reveals the price of fame, the penalty of a media spotlight, and pondering if it’s all even worth it.

When Margo Hartman takes an unscheduled vacation, she does it with her telephone off and a little planning. Her tour is over, and the handler of this International Pop Star is abusing her privilege. Unfortunately, Margo can fire talent, but she can’t terminate a mother status. Carolyn Hartman does not understand the meaning of no in money, interviews, concerts, tours, and Margo’s time. She’s relentless and will buy off anyone in her way. Since Margo is making the money, she can’t buy her, but she does pay her staff to do her “favors”. This last debacle was a road never taken before, and it won’t be taken now.

All is going along fine, until an accident, a duck, and a police deputy run into Margo. It happens when doing right can bring out something wrong and life can go crazy fast.

Brock Moore finds the newest visitor attractive, but her mode of dress and her comic strip name lends plenty of suspicions. However, it is the town stories that really seal the deal, and he begins to follow her. His being around tends to make her nervous, but once the sound of a bullet explodes, this case comes dangerously close.

From strangers to inseparable, the mystery deepens as these two get closer to the secrets hidden in this small town.

You’ll find chuckles along with belly laughs as you walk with Debora for your quick dose of “Papa” God time. The pages turn as you connect in such a family way, and you will relate to the stories of everyday life and bring praise to our Creator of Life! As fun as it is different plus heartwarming to boot, you will worship Him as you are refreshing you.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED … INSPIRATION FOR EVERY DAY: 365 Devotions for Women by Debora M. Coty brings into focus many situations arising within Christian living. From family and work issues to what about us needs His correction as we are going about something all wrong to find hope, humor, and faith in short bursts of devotion, worship, prayer, Scripture, and truth.

Throughout these long five years, Titus longs to be here, and his past only intensifies this wish. His dreams of going home did not prepare him for the reality. Those pitfalls iconic dreams ignore snag at him through every place, every resident, every incident, and from the inside every stall. Temptations seem to find him while he hobbles back into faith when he is both battered and broken.

Happiness is elusive through a hardened hard and jaded view and making amends doesn’t change the past, present, or future.

Titus owes many people many things, but Abbie King and her family lost most of everything. On the King farm, he’s not welcome, but shock at what he finds there will bring his good intentions into the ashes. He will pay this debt without regard to the cost.

Meanwhile, honest work may change appearances, but it is true that love and resentment can go hand in hand.

Not everyone’s future takes to changing the past, but Titus is seeking a fresh start, a new life, and forgiveness. Inside the Amish community confusion piles on, crimes follow along, and secrets escape. Can Titus find the forgiveness of a whole community? Alternatively, will he live inside the past that will forever haunt him?

Finding love within the Amish could bring an Englischer into his destiny, but will having a future equal having happiness?

You will fall in love with Titus Lambert and a way of life in this heartwarming read where honesty is the best policy!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

TITUS RETURNS (Wells Landing Romance) by Amy Lillard introduces a different Titus Lambert. While he left as an Amish young man, he returns from Englischer prison walls now emotionally challenged but resilient and still lugging mental, faith, and emotional scars.

His former girlfriend belongs to another, one friend’s death is by his hand, and another will never be able to use his legs because of Titus Lambert’s poor choices. His family strains with him under the roof and his dream to return to a normal life in Wells Landing, Oklahoma shatters before his eyes. Looks and whispers take a toll on Titus while his jailers hold still clings. Despite shows of forgiveness, he realizes things will never be the same.

Where could he even begin?

It is time to make amends despite knowing damages will not fully heal. On the King’s farm, he is warned without regard that he is not wanted on this land. However, Titus will come back because he has to do this. Through hard work and time, he will set right the little he can because this family lost a brother, a son, and are close to losing their farm due to grief, depression, and pain.

In Wells Landing, Oklahoma inside an Amish community, second chances are a fresh start. However, roof leaks and painted walls may help, but the crushing pain of death ends hope before it ever really begins.

Titus Lambert does not get a do-over, but he does find more of himself along the way. Despite guilt, self-loathing, questionings of faith, lack of plans, and that daunting definition of happiness, a real life goes missing but returns as long as honesty remains.

Thoughts:

In O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHANY by Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay, we are moving into Holly Truesdale’s life or lack thereof!

She comes from a household where wealth is the norm and their life revolves around a business. She’s living apart from her family but is far from being a part of them. In fact, Holly’s treatment as an employee at her father’s company and as a child in the other venues is shocking. Some family servants want what is best for her, but she does not really know what that is because the best for her means worse for others.

However, during what should be the happiest time in her life, Holly reaches the last straw. All she wants is out. No longer caring about the damage she leaves behind, like a rebellious teen, she is a runaway without a forwarding address.

Holly is on the road to find a new life with only childlike images and a name to find the place, but she sets out for her freedom inside Bethany.

Meeting new people and some familiar faces, she is on track to gain a life, but she’s not ready for love. Fortunately, the handsome bed and breakfast owner is not either. When things change, the past rears its head, and Holly needs the strength she could never find.

In the meantime, secrets are coming alive, people are leaving as some are arriving, and this perfect holiday is going under and so is her life!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Dreams beginning in childhood turn to ashes not long afterward. Many years later, Christmas time is here again and those ashes still lay in decay as life conditions deteriorate.

Holly reconstitutes the dream. She gives up her family and their wealth to move on. As part of a new community, Holly’s career and wonderful Christmas holiday are at hand. The quaint town of Bethany with all its amazing residents is her launching pad. Her miracle in the making is giving the very best of what she never had, but it brings her immense joy to be part of this iconic scene. A suitor is not on the horizon, and although Liam is near, she want’s all that he does too.

Now is not the time for anything in the romance department.

Things seem to be changing and while she’s trying to make her own way, the problems with her past resurface, this town’s Grande Dame disappears and returns, and everyone is on edge. Moreover, her dream is beginning to crash, but Holly has some things and some people on her side.

Will she lose everything or will she survive this collision course with history?

Thoughts:

CLASSIFIED CHRISTMAS MISSION (Wrangler’s Corner) by Lynette Eason brings us into the collision of life and death, as we dodge bullets before tumbling down the embankment.

Suspense lingers from page one, even as a child naps, and climbs higher within each chapter.

Amber Starke is on the run needing to get home by Christmas, but her destination is not for a holiday celebration. Her home base is even more dangerous in this CIA agent’s world. The items she needs await her, but the danger she’s about to bring upon her family means anyone in her path becomes collateral damage. Amber must get her new son to safety. Number two Mom stands in forever for Mom number one, as this autistic child’s world is changing. Her heart aches for Sam as they run from his biological father. However, Amber’s time is too limited, and she must keep moving.

Once lights appear on the dark and snow covered road, we prepare to move from running to fighting, but we do not expect the result of this battle.

There is a leak. Her cover will no longer help, and her handler may be to blame. Amber doesn’t know whom she trusts, but the last thing she and Sam need is someone approaching their vehicle.

Slumping over the steering wheel, Amber sees a shadow move closer. Awake enough for understanding to be at capacity, she has her weapon at the ready.

Meanwhile, the holiday trappings are all around, but this can be deadly to many. Between dangerous weather conditions and careless drivers, Deputy Lance Goode is trying to keep plans with the people who are like family to him. Even with chains on his tires, it is slow going for his vehicle. Two other cars are on this same road, but one moves at an excessive speed. Metal crunching metal will happen if it keeps moving like this.

Before he is able to respond, shots ring out to bring one vehicle into a life-endangering crash.

Lance knows the other driver could return. With his own weapon drawn, he throws his heart over the side of the road as he takes the flight to save a life. His heart breaks when he sees a young child in the back, but it thunders once he realizes who is behind the wheel.

Amber Starke is the black sheep travel writer from a close family, but he already knows there is more to her story. In fact, she is no longer the girl tag along she used to be. Her life is obviously different and his heart will not mend.

Nevertheless, their real story only just begins once more shots explode!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside CLASSIFIED CHRISTMAS MISSION (Wrangler’s Corner) by Lynette Eason, Christmas is near, and Amber Starke is on the run from family connections. They do not know her chosen career or the danger in her being around them. As a CIA agent over the years, Amber has made dear friends within the organization and outside of it. Her last informant paid with her life, and her agency is to blame.

Her special needs charge understands that Amber is his new mom, but he doesn’t know that his father’s game of hiding and seek is deadly to all involved, especially to him. Somebody is a leak to this child’s father, and Agent Starke is almost sure it’s her handler and previous friend. However, their up-to-date information is putting her right where she does not want to be.

Amber is home for the holidays, but she is not home to meet with family or celebrate Christmas. In fact, she’s hiding until she obtains all she needs to disappear with Sam for good.

She will lose her own life trying defending her son, even if she has to do it solo.

Deputy Lance Goode is going to spend time with friends until a traffic hazard turns into shots splitting the quiet around him. He sees the result as one car topples off the road and under it. So much for making plans. However, Lance comes face to face with an old friend, a kidnapping victim, and a Federal Agent trying to evade the law.

There is much more to this story, and he would love to understand why this agent turns to crime, but dodging bullets are higher on his list right now. He can not allow this woman and child go to his department.

Now, all of them may need protection from her agency? How many others are on the outside getting her information?

Even crimes by law enforcement officials have consequences, but someone else is after this boy. This autistic child knows information that these people want. However, once they know what he does, they will have no use for him.

Thoughts:

Throughout THE PATTERN ARTIST by Nancy Moser, we come to know New York City alongside Annie Wood. Her arrival from England, in the year 1911, provides us readers an open door into history!

For Annie, this isn’t a joyous time of exploration.

Annie Wood is an English housemaid. She travels with maidservants, but she often forgets her place in the world, as her land is where the elites rule.

Meanwhile, Annie’s parents are poor and begrudge the wealthy. She wishes for a better life and works for a family to learn and move higher. Travel starts her mind to wander about amazing opportunities until reality closes in like walls around the city. Staying in an American rich household, Annie witnesses much of the same treatment of the help that she endures in her homeland. This type of employment will not last forever. It can’t. The skills and talents that Annie possesses are what her English family enjoys.

More realism crashes upon her as she uncovers the truth. Annie Wood does not become more or even highly paid. This station in life will always be hers. Her dream of employment stalls. Annie makes a decision. She and two other servants leave the house never to return. Facing life in America is both pleasant and unpleasant, but Annie discovers this is leading to her destiny.

However, the social norms of America can be confusing, and her outspoken and sometimes-misspoken ways come with a cost here too.

Will Annie’s words be her worst expense? Alternatively, is her willingness to speak a gift? Some notice in Macy’s comes along, but the good attention lifts her into a wonderful change. She climbs upon a corporate ladder at Butterick Pattern Company with opportunities coming her way. However, Annie must still watch her place in this world as much as her words. Her desire for better may leave her out of in cold. With teetering faith, Annie Wood may tumble.

Will the man who confesses love stay around long enough? Finding a purpose quells her confusion, but changes from within Annie must take place along the way!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Annie Wood marvels at how life is different on American soil in THE PATTERN ARTIST by Nancy Moser.

It is 1911, and an English housemaid’s employment options are few. Across the pond will never get better, as her meager class will upend everything.

Annie leaves the only work she’s ever known to find the American dream! By hard work, strength, grit, and determination along with many blessings along the way, this housemaid burns a trail from England to Macy’s leaving her mark on the heart of a salesman. Does Annie Wood belong on the creative side of fashion? This salesman believes she does, and he recommends her for a job inside the famed Butterick Pattern Company.

Annie Wood is not at all sure about this.

From one man’s love announcement to her quick mouth disrupting her own life, Annie Wood needs to make changes. If not, a new career may implode when the present and the past collide to change her future!

Thoughts:

In REUNITED AT CHRISTMAS by Belle Calhoune, we are breathless as Dr. Liam Prescott goes about everyday business in Love, Alaska until he meets his wife!

It was two long years ago when a dangerous mission of search and rescue took her away, and his grief is still raw. He’s raising their young son whom still talks about his mother but doesn’t understand why she is gone. At five years old, Aidan understands that she is with Jesus, but he doesn’t understand much more than this. Most often, Liam doesn’t either.

He lives with an even deeper pain which most of his friends don’t even know. His marriage ended differently than expected. However, when Liam walks into his brother’s office, his life takes an unexpected turn.

Meanwhile, as the man standing next to her explains, Ruby Prescott is learning more about herself. Her confusion is getting worse by the minute, and it nearly overwhelms her once another man enters the room. Breathing becomes hard. She wants to run, but she cannot.

This place is not familiar, these people are mere strangers, and she’s married! How do you love someone that you do not know?

However, her husband is not the only one on this new canvas inside her mind. A child is waiting for a mother, and her bloodline continues with a brother.

Ruby Prescott isn’t sure about any of this. In fact, she is positive that she does not remember this life, her husband, or her son. Was coming here the biggest mistake of her life or will she have to grow used to being the forever stranger among them all? A whisper here, a stare from over there, in addition to her husband and family seeming all too perfect so that it does not take long before Ruby starts to wonder about their secrets.

Once another relative comes to call, some lives may forever change!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

REUNITED AT CHRISTMAS by Belle Calhoune begins two years after Ruby Prescott dies, on paper.

In the most literal sense, Ruby comes back to life in Love, Alaska to find herself. Her fragmented mind leads her here, but she doesn’t understand why. It is only a faint, vague memory from the few that she can see on the protected drive of her mind.

She could be inside this sheriff’s office telling her story, but instead, Ruby’s finding out about her own tale. However, she starts to wonder if any of this is real. Amnesia took her memories, but this confusion is not clearing. Her mind is in upload mode with data that she is unable to process.

Another man walks onto the scene. As the sheriff calms him, Ruby Prescott is losing her ability to cope and breathe.

This man is her husband and looking at him provides her no clues. Married? How can she expect to be a wife when she does not know this man? He claims his child is her child. How could she have a child and not remember him? As her mind’s focus sees an infant in her arms, she is in a panic.

Could this all be mistaken identity?

Coming here was a mistake. She’s unable to care for a child. She cannot stay married to a stranger. What other secrets will her presence unearth?

As a picture is taking shape inside her thoughts, Ruby is frantic. This is not home, this is not her family, and this is not her life.

Thoughts:

LIVE A PRAYING LIFE®WITHOUT FEAR: Let Faith Tame Your Worries by Jennifer Kennedy Dean is a wonderful aid in keeping faith focused even during times of trial and fear!

This guide can serve group settings and an individual reader who needs a clear lens of faith during difficult times.

Using Scriptures, prayers, and exercises, this author reminds us that nothing on earth will stop God’s plans and that includes painful times or circumstances whether we are in the beginnings, middles or ends of our path. She details where in the Bible God uses the good and bad of this world for His purposes and reminds us that He continues to do so today.

In reading LIVE A PRAYING LIFE®WITHOUT FEAR: Let Faith Tame Your Worries by Jennifer Kennedy Dean, I realize more in my current times as fear ebbs but trials still flow. Through all of our circumstances, we’ll walk in a more robust faith on this journey!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside LIVE A PRAYING LIFE®WITHOUT FEAR: Let Faith Tame Your Worries, Jennifer Kennedy Dean explains the fear and the causes of it, but she shows that it isn’t all that it’s supposed to be. God’s Grace and His sovereignty are all inclusive. Nothing is out of His hands. God uses all circumstances in this world to fulfill His purpose and provides His Grace to us in all things. She demonstrates this by using the Bible, Testimony, Scripture, exercises, and prayer.

From group studies to individual readers, the benefits of reading this during the hardest times is faith, understanding, and prayer.